Proper 10: July 15, 2007.

Amos 7:7-17 or Deuteronomy 30:9-14

Psalm 82 or Psalm 25:1-10

Colossians 1:1-14

Luke 10:25-37

First Reading

Deuteronomy 30 proclaims that God's mercy is stronger than God's judgment. The text addresses the covenant people after the destruction of the monarchy, calling them to turn to God, trusting that God will be merciful. The promise of God is extravagant. Even after the terrible curses of Deuteronomy 28 have brought death and destruction to the people for their failure to uphold the covenant, when the people turn to God, God will delight to give them life and blessing. When the people obey God by living faithfully according to the law, God will restore them. Deuteronomy asserts that it is not too difficult to obey the commandments, nor are they too mysterious or inaccessible. The law of God is as close as the believer's own mouth and heart.

For a preacher comfortable within one of the Reformation traditions, this Deuteronomy passage may present a challenge. Lutherans and others have cited Paul to assert that the law is unable to give life (Gal 3:21) and that it is impossible for any human being to so fully obey the law as to earn favor before God. The law functions instead to condemn sin and drive people to seek grace (Rom 3:20, 23). What will one make of Deuteronomy's claim that life and blessing will come to the people who obey the law, and that the law is not too difficult to keep? The resolution of this apparent problem is possible only when it is recognized that Deuteronomy is concerned not with the question of salvation but with how to live within the salvation God has already given. Deuteronomy does not claim that Israel will earn God's favor by obedience to the law. Israel's covenant relationship with God is a gift. The law is given as an additional gift to guide Israel to live faithfully within the covenant.

A post-Pauline author begins the letter to the Colossians addressing the believers with a typical greeting of grace and peace. The author reports prayers of thanksgiving for the community of believers, particularly for their faith in Christ and their love for all other believers. Their faith and love are strong because of the hope that is bearing fruit among them. The author refers to Epaphras, who is known to the Colossians as a minister of Christ, and who has brought good news concerning the church's loving character. Having received this good report, the author describes praying continually for the believers there, that they may be filled with knowledge and lead worthy lives, and that they may be made strong and able to endure with patience. He reminds them to give thanks to God who is the source of their hope, who has given them a place in the reign of Christ, through whom they receive forgiveness of sins.

In Luke 10, it should be noted that the lawyer who questions Jesus about eternal life does so with hostile intent. He apparently hopes for evidence that Jesus' teaching is in some way defective. Jesus does not answer the question but asks what the lawyer understands the law to say. When the lawyer responds with the same summary of the law that Matthew (22:37-39) and Mark (12:29-31) place on the lips of Jesus, Jesus agrees and tells him to do so and live. The lawyer, though, wishes in some way to put himself up and Jesus down, so he asks for a definition of neighbor. He appears to want to be able to identify who is and who is not a neighbor.

Jesus replies with a story that suggests that it is not possible to identify anyone who is not a neighbor. On the one hand, it is a very simple story. It functions, as many folk tales do, by considering the conduct of three main characters, the last of whom demonstrates some quality to which the listener should attend. On the other hand, it is a profoundly challenging story that embodies a number of significant elements from Jesus' teaching, including compassion, service, and love of enemies. In the story it is the enemy, the hated Samaritan, who acts as neighbor. Although the lawyer's curt response suggests he is unmoved by the Samaritan's example, Jesus instructs him to go and do likewise.

Pastoral Reflection

The preacher faces a number of challenges from this week's parable. It is a very familiar story. The image of the Good Samaritan is so well known that it has become part of nearly everyone's vocabulary. In the process, though, the meaning of Samaritan has been changed. The element of "enemy" or "outsider" has been lost. Instead, the Samaritan has come to be associated with a cheerful kind of do-good-ism.

In addition, the story has a history of being used in Christian circles as a sort of rhetorical club to beat the listener, passing judgment for every instance of "passing by on the other side." Before the preacher says a word, some in the congregation will have begun to berate themselves for not helping the man or woman begging on the street corner. It often goes unnoticed that the tone of the story reflects its context of conflict. This makes it even more likely that some listeners will hear the story as conveying a message of guilt and condemnation. In a global society linked by satellite and television, the listener can be aware of billions of neighbors in need and end up feeling completely powerless to help.

Although these factors may make it difficult for the preacher to proclaim a life-giving word, he or she must work to overcome the obstacles to hearing Jesus in a fresh way. The preacher might prayerfully discern ways in which his or her congregation needs to be opened to the all-embracing love of God.

Perhaps there is a false sense of superiority or self-righteousness present. The story challenges the lawyer's smugness by presenting a despised Samaritan as a role model. The preacher might follow Jesus' lead by inquiring about unexpected experiences of grace. Jenny Browne describes how a man with tattoos helped her start her car and in the process challenged some of her cultural assumptions ("Sunday's Best," The Other Side [May/June 1995], 6).

Perhaps a congregation is satisfied with being loved by God but has no desire to reach out beyond its comfort zone to neighbors in need. In the story, Jesus seems uninterested in the question of inheriting eternal life but very interested in the question of whether there are limits to who might be a neighbor. The preacher might invite the congregation to see the real needs of real neighbors.

Or perhaps a congregation is feeling overwhelmed and unable to do anything of significance when faced with the enormity of needs in the world. Deuteronomy can guide the preacher to ask about the opportunities that are not too difficult and not too far away, where the congregation's gifts can make a genuine difference. The parable does finally ask the listener to take action in some way that "is very near to you,... in your mouth and in your heart for you to do." AJC