A Shocking Story about our Neighbour
Gate Pa – Year C 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time,
Readings:
Psalm
Psalm 82
First
Reading:
Amos 7:7-17
Second
Reading: Col 1:1-14
Gospel:
Luke 10:25-37
What I want to say:
Explore
the Good Samaritan story – that it asks who our neighbour is – who am I willing
to be a neighbour to? Who am I willing to be my neighbour to me?
The Sermon
1. Introduction:
My mum is part of a house group
take it in turns to host the group
-
mum always happy
to do
-
also have to lead
the bible study
I remember talking to her about this morning’s
gospel
story of good Samaritan
she was just checking out that it was all about
how to be neighbourly
which I suspect is how often undertood
in some ways it is
but who are we to be neighbourly to?
that is the question
2. who is my neighbour?
That is the question we seem to be forever
struggling with
last weekend Pauline Hanson returned to
Australian Senate
policy platform that is very clear about who
her neighbour is
-
white
-
non muslim
-
Australian
è everyone else is not her neighbour
o
deserves her (and
our) suspicion and contempt
û royal commission into Islam
û no refugees
û limited immigration (except if they are white)
all of which is so sad and a little frightening
not just Australia
see
same thing with Trump in America
part
of Brexit vote was same kind of very narrow view about who is my neighbour
have
same attitudes here in Aotearoa
I can understand it
easier when people like me are my neighbour
û look like me
û sound like me
û speak same language as me
û dress same me
û act same - largely
û believe same
easier assume
people like me are the good guys
people who aren’t like me are not the good
guys
don’t have to pay them and their issues any
attention
probably
brought it all on themselves
don’t have to be a good neighbour to them
in fact I can vilify them
withhold any generosity or mercy
feels safer this way
3. Context
same divisions were there in Jesus’ time
probably worse
a lot animosity between Jews and Samaritans
went
back time Solomon
Jews saw themselves vastly superior
not
as polluted with blood non-Jews
continued
with temple worship in Jerusalem
kept
law Moses – torah more devotedly
unlike those Samaritans – had intermarried
with non-Jews after Assyrian invasion
abandoned temple – Jerusalem
worshipped
at Bethel and Dan and then Samaria
their understanding of Torah was sneered at
and at times extremists both sides would take this
animosity
-
explode into outright hatred
both Jew and Samaritan despised Gentiles
yet they had to learn to live with one another
most
of time achieved
animosity
bubbled away under the surface
saw all this couple weeks ago when Jesus set
eyes on Jerusalem
sought
stay in Samaritan village on the way
not
interested because going to Jerusalem
John
and James wanted pray for fire pour down on that village.
4. The Lawyer
what does Jesus do with all this?
Luke tells this story
how lawyer comes to Jesus to trap him
show
how ignorant he is?
asks what he must do to inherit eternal life
not
about going to heaven
much
more about inheriting God’s promises for this earth at the last age
Jesus turns question back on him and asks him
two questions
what does law Moses say
how does he read or understand it
-
two different
question
Lawyer gives oft quoted response
love the lord your God with all you heart,
soul, mind and strength
and/by
loving your neighbour as yourself
Jesus says – good answer – go and do it
Lawyer is little annoyed at this
tables
turned – he has lost a lot face in this exchange
redeem situation – asks really simple question
the question
who is my neighbour?
really simple
number clear answers
in
line with Pauline Hanson and Donald Trump
people
like me
other
good guys
all which Jesus seems to ignore with this
behaviour
in response Jesus tells this story
shocking story
5. The shocking story
where upholders of temple law became bad guys
for keeping torah and ignoring the unknown man
–
never told this man Jew, Samaritan or Gentile
-
markers gone –
dress and language would give him away
good guy is Samaritan
same
people James and John wanted to pour fire onto just a few verses ago
so who is the neighbour?
6. So who is my neighbour?
not people like lawyer
not people obeyed torah
in
fact one disobeyed torah – law moses
one dressed, spoke, acted differently
outsider
one
we should be suspicious of and vilify
he is neighbour
not by birth
not by family relationships
not by religion
not even by obeying torah
by showing mercy
Jesu changes the rules
and most of the time we don’t even notice
our neighbours are the ones who show us mercy
we become neighbours when we show mercy
neighbours aren’t people like us
but
are all those in need
all
those in need
whatever their race
their
beliefs
their
status
no
matter whether they are part of the good guys or bad guys
all our neighbours
all which means from point of view of Jesus and
his story
Pauline Hanson
Donald Trump
all those call no refugees
end
Muslim immigration
see themselves as good guys and everyone else
bad
all ignoring what Jesus says
and have got it o so wrong!
What about us?
we are to be shaped by this story
ð act with mercy to all
ð receive mercy from all
as people of way
people walk with Jesus
ones who are to live out this shocking and
hard story
if we are honest it will call into question
a whole lot of our ideas about who we are
and
who are our neighbours
7. Baptism
today we are going to baptise Elliette
do so with this story ringing in our ears
this story which talks about unearned
compassion and enormous generosity
shakes up fabric of all societies
calls us to be generous neighbours
accept generosity of those we do now know
As we baptise Elliette
we
are declaring God’s unearned and unending love for her
in doing so we are declaring her a member of
the God’s Church
part of people who are to live out God’s
unearned love for all
baptise Elliette in hope that she will grow up
immersed in generosity and compassion we find in this story
knowing that all people are her neighbour
because all people are children of God.
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