Text: Luke 10:25-37
Facebook live: Mercy and love is lived out in Christ!
37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
In our text for today we read of a lawyer who stood up to put Jesus to the test. Now, this is not to be a sermon which lifts up or puts down the noble profession of attorneys. But it is the word of the Lord and we can all learn an important lesson.
The question that is asked - “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” - is a bit odd. How do you inherit anything? It might have been more direct if he had asked, “What must I do to earn eternal life?” because that is the question so many what to know.
In my business background we we’re always taught to answer a question with a question so that you could better get to the real objection. So, Jesus, being the best at fleshing out the true meaning to the question that is asked of Him replies with a question.
26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?”
Having the ball back in his court the lawyer recites the word giving a summary of the Moral Law correctly, according to Deut. 6: 5; Lev. 19: 18.
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
And I might add that he probably said it with a bit of boastful pride too!
Well, finally getting to the real objection, Jesus turns the prideful attorney’s answer back on himself when He says:
“You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
The truth is, as Jesus quite rightly points out, no one, not even one who rightly knows the scripture can keep the Law of God perfectly.
To know the Law and to keep the Law is two very different things. And, this command to love your neighbor as yourself really pushes us well beyond what we can do.
Shoot, for many of us we can’t even love ourselves so how are we going to love others?
But, despite falling short God uses you and me, His children, and:
Mercy and love is lived out in Christ!
You and I also, tend to put Christ to the test.
It’s the same word of God today as it was for the Lawyer and the same requirements that God demands and at times many believe they actually love God and their neighbor enough.
203 baptized and 171 confirmed members here at Peace but we worship less than 60 on a weekend.
Now granted some have moved away and some attend elsewhere and have not yet asked to be removed from the roles and many have departed to be with the Lord.
But many just don’t come, maybe thinking that they’ve loved God enough and like the lawyer ask: “And who is my neighbor?”
God works through means and for better or worse that’s you and me.
We are God’s hands in the world, bringing the love of Christ to a dying world and also to real people. As we learned last week with the sending of the 72 they went proclaiming peace and healing with the good news that the Kingdom of God was at hand.
Sometimes your neighbor needs a helping hand, when the ways of the world brings grief.
At times it is a prayer of comfort to let them know that you understand and will stand with them.
At times it might require a word of rebuke when they are going the wrong way in this life.
And as the church it might require a word of warning from us that to be away from God’s word and sacrament and the gift of worship and fellowship that He calls to participate in may lead to no communion and fellowship with him at all.
Many of the members of Peace need a call from their neighbor.
If you care about a member that you know that doesn’t attend give them a loving call.
If they have needs look for ways to help.
Remind them that God will never leave them of forsake them even if they’ve forsaken the assembly here at Peace and have self-excluded themselves from the church and the gifts God so longs to give them.
Implore them to return as the Lord desires his children to be together where he is and to hear God speak!
Here listen to Luther:
“In times past we would have run to the ends of the world if we had known of a place where we could have heard God speak. But now that we hear this every day in sermons, indeed, now that all books are full of it, we do not see this happening. You hear at home in your house, father and mother and children sing and speak of it, the preacher speaks of it in the parish church — you ought to lift up your hands and rejoice that we have been given the honor of hearing God speaking to us through his Word.”
https://www.christianstudylibrary.org/article/luther-and-power-gospel
The gospel is God’s word for us to use and to bring comfort.
As Jesus said in gospel reading of the Good Samaritan:
36 Which of these three, - the Priest, the Levite or the Samaritan - do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
You go … is a directive for us all. To take Christ’s caring word to those how need its comfort. Physical care and spiritual care are needed by all.
Urban ministries of our district bring this care to those where they are.
Family of God in Detroit, The Flint Mission Network and St. Paul’s in Pontiac bring the word, peace and forgiveness to feed the soul of those in need but also the meals and physical needs of those in our area. Our district is looking for new startups in mission and ministry but for those churches who cant start new they suggest finding a ministry to support. St, Paul is that ministry that is meeting needs and could use help in so many ways. Our circuit pastors and looking into how we all might better help and serve the news of the needy in this way.
36 Which of these three, - the Priest, the Levite or the Samaritan - do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
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