Monday, March 10, 2025

AfterWords: "Towards Jerusalem: Call to Compassion"

 

Luke 10:25-37

Something inside of us longs for eternity, for “foreverness.” Our scientists and physicians do all they can to prolong our lives, to give us one more day. Evidently, this is something we humans have longed for since the beginning. Our reading today has an expert in the law asking Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”

At first glance, he seems to asking about living forever, but when we dig a little deeper, we discover that the word we translate “life” in this passage is the word zoe--a specific word for a specific type of life. This is not a question about an unending physical life. This is about life with meaning, purpose, depth, and durability. This is about having a life that is beyond us, that outlives our mortal, temporal bodies. Benjamin Franklin hints at this type of life: “Many people die at twenty-five and aren't buried until they are seventy-five.”

Amazing teacher the Jesus is, he turns the question back on the man asking, a man who without missing a beat declares the answer to his own question: Love God with all your being and love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus affirms the answer and tells him, “Do this, and you will live.” Life this agape-loving life, and you will have the life you are looking for, a life of purpose and direction.

But, this expert in the law—like many of us—is looking for some wiggle-room, an out, so he asks Jesus to explain this word: “neighbor.” In response, Jesus tells a story. He sets up the people for a shocking reversal. We have patterns and devices we use, like those jokes: One day, a priest, a minister, and a …. And what? Did you suggest “rabbi”? You’d be right. We know the pattern. The Jewish people had a pattern, a device, as well: Priests, Levites, and the People. They are grouped together and mentioned this way in the Old Testament.

The people listening to the parable thought Jesus was getting ready to make the ordinary Jewish people the heroes of this story. The priest passed by, the Levite passed by…and they await Jesus’ inclusion now of the ordinary person stepping up to the task. But, no. Jesus flips the tables on them, so to speak, and makes a Samaritan a hero. This Samaritan attends to his neighbor—to the person near him in need. He responds to this inconvenient situation with extravagant compassion: cloth, oil and wine, time carrying the fellow, and money besides to cover expenses.

Jesus uses this encounter and parable to teach us how to find life, real life, meaningful life, lasting life. We keep our eyes open and step up to help those who are near to us. We respond to the needs of others near us. We embrace inconvenient compassion.

May we keep our eyes open for opportunities of living this kindness and compassion for others. When we do, we find life. After seeing how this Samaritan responds to the need of another, Jesus tells us, “Go and do likewise.”

Sunday, March 9, 2025
“Towards Jerusalem: Call to Compassion”
Watch/Listen: HERE

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