“Love One Another”

Scripture: John 13:34-35; Luke 10:25-37

These last 3 months have been a very difficult time for us all. Social distancing has become more than just a new phrase for us, it’s our new way of life; “covid-19” isn’t just a new virus, but a term that has come to mean fear, and death, and governmental control over our lives; work from home, as well as home school has required adjustment that we had never expected; we, and others who are close to us, have lost their livelihood and have been struggling to make ends meet; and not the least, I hope, the closing of our churches and extensive restrictions on how and when we can worship. But, by the grace of God, I think we all have been getting through it. Until a week ago.

The tragic death of George Floyd in LA has stuck us all, and the community marches in his memory began as a tribute to George’s life, as well as a protest against the actions that lead to his death. But the subsequent rioting and violence and looting and destruction of property, and the taking of lives has, in my way of thinking, nothing to do with showing honor to George, and everything to do with personal agendas of hatred.

In the past week, all evidence of Christian love has seemed to vanish from our nation. It’s all about “me”, and not a bit about others. It’s about “me” and “my” desires, and not about what you may think. It’s about getting “my” way, and the righteous way of God has become irrelevant.

Today’s parable is “The Good Samaritan”, which seems to be very appropriate for this day and time. It examines the truth of what God would have us do and be. It addresses the question “How do we live in and through the love of God”, instead of in love of ourselves? And we begin with consideration of what Jesus meant when he called us to love as he has loved.

Read John 13:34-35

The concept of love was nothing new for Israel. The first passage from scripture that every faithful Jew was to learn is called the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.
Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

Love of God was to take first priority for his people. Love in the way of God was to be our only direction of how to love. True love was no longer to be about passion and lust, no longer a conditional offer of affection, no longer a self-serving function of the human libido. Love is to be about a relationship that exists in a Godly way and for a Godly purpose.

This is why Jesus came to us in the first place – to teach us, by example, as to what a relationship with God was all about. By his love, he left glory behind to come here, with the express purpose to correct our vision of who and what God is all about. In John 3:16-17, he tells us that our connection to the Lord is no longer about punishment and condemnation for our sinful existence – it is about a loving relationship with the Almighty that will bring about salvation for the likes of you and me. And he demonstrates that love by freeing us from the condemnation that earth brings. (John 15:12-14) He came to take our punishment, our death, so that we might live in him. That is what a loving relationship is, and it is the relationship that Jesus wants to have with us.

Read Luke 10:25-28

In Leviticus 19:18, we read about the second part of loving. In addition to loving God, we read that there is a command about our relationship with each other – “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.” The Pharisees and Sadducees were constantly on the prowl to find a way to trap Jesus. These two passages – about loving God and loving each other - are the basis for every other command that God has ever handed down, and while these learned men knew the words in those passages, they didn’t have a clue as to how they were to live them.

They ask a question – what must I do to receive eternal life. Notice that their attitude is that there must be something that they can do to gain eternal life – some act of remorse perhaps, a sacrifice for forgiveness, a good work that would make them look righteous in God’s eyes. So Jesus plays their game, and asks what the law requires! And then he has them. The Law has the answer, but not the means, and Jesus tells him to live the commandment, and not to just spout it! He wants them to know that memorizing scripture isn’t nearly enough for our lives - we must also understand it and embrace its truth.

But they weren’t about to give up.

Read Luke 10:29-32

So who is this neighbor that I’m supposed to care for? If the legalist had been asked the question, instead of him asking Jesus, the answer would have been easy - “The one who obeys the Law is my neighbor!” Sinners and foreigners were unworthy, or so they thought, of receiving anything from either God or a righteous Jew! Gentiles, Samaritans, even women were beyond the boundaries of civility for a Jewish man.

So Jesus tells them a story. An unknown man is attacked, robbed, and beaten, and left to die on the side of a heavily trafficked road. Many people would have passed the scene, but the examples that Jesus offers as being “unneighborly” would have shocked his audience. After all, these first two were adhering to the law regarding cleanliness. They were on the way to Jerusalem, presumably to serve in the Temple, and if they had touched, or helped the man in any way, they would have been contaminated by the blood and other “dirt” that covered his body, and this would have precluded their entering temple for 7 days. So they ignored his plight.

But which is the Godly priority – keeping to the plan of our routine lives, or setting the needs of “routine” aside to serve a person in need?

Read Luke 10:33-37

So who will stop to help the man? The unexpected comes into play. All reasonable people of that day would say that it would be anyone BUT a Samaritan! After all, there was a deep-seated hatred between Jews and these half breed Jews. They were contaminated in their ancestry, and any self-respecting Jew would rather die than be helped by one of them! And yet, it appears that the one who the Law would condemn as sinful and unworthy, would be the very one who would be living out God’s love in the finest way!

Jesus challenges the status quo in everything that he teaches. But then, why not? God will never be bound by the ways and standards of earth, and every time we fall into his truth, we tend to be surprised! Isaiah 55:8-9 tell us that God’s way is foreign to us, but that it is infinitely better than anything we may know. And this is what Jesus wants us to strive for – a loving relationship in God’s way, not humanity’s.

The teachings of Jesus are constantly challenging our concept of what is right and what is wrong, and, quite honestly, are fully intended to shatter the worldly stereotypes that have always governed our lives. And what does the man do to help this stranger? He goes over the top! He goes beyond all expectations, and certainly more than the priest or Levite would, or even could, have done. And more importantly, he puts his own life and plans on hold, and gives his all to see that the man would not only live, but would be comfortable and cared for.

And the Samaritan’s character is also revealed – he pledges to pay whatever additional sums will be necessary the next time he travels through the area – and the Innkeeper trusts him! This is the example of who the faithful should be. And we are no longer talking about the Jews – we are talking about you and me. How far are we willing to go to reach out to another person who is in need? As far as this unworthy sinner did?

And then the Lord asks the $64 question – which one was the good neighbor? Does the question sound familiar? That’s right – it’s basically the same question that the Pharisee had asked originally – “who is my neighbor”? And the expert can’t even give a direct answer - he can’t admit that a Samaritan is the type of neighbor that he should be. He can only acknowledge him as the “one who had mercy”.

Interestingly, this is what a Christian should be above all else – merciful! Micah 6:8 reminds us of this – “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Not to just understand justice, but to live it; not to just offer mercy to others, but to love doing it; and not to just know about God and his commands, but to live them in a humble and loving way.

Do you think that these words accurately describe the Samaritan as a “good neighbor”?
How well do they describe us? Are we as loving toward others as Jesus and this outcast were? This may very well be something that we all need to work on!