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Chris Murphy
July 9
th
2023
Scripture: Luke 10: 25-37
Sermon Title: A Compassionate Journey
Prayer...
Introducon:
The actor Harrison Ford is in a new Indiana Jones movie called Indiana
Jones and the Dial of Desny. I just saw it with Karen yesterday at the
Cameo Theater and loved it. I have a special fondness for movies by
Harrison Ford because my dad went to the same high school as him and
because I like Harrison Ford as an actor. Before Harrison Ford was
Indiana Jones, we knew him from the Star Wars movies as Hans Solo. I
recently watched the Star Wars trilogy of Star Wars, Empire Strikes
Back, and Return of the Jedi with my daughter Chiara. I did the same
thing with Cate a few years ago. This me as we watched these movies I
was moved by the spiritual transformaon of the main characters. The
three main characters are Luke Skywalker, Hans Solo, and Princess Leia.
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I will remind you that Luke Skywalker becomes a Jedi Knight and that he
eventually has to confront Darth Vader. I won’t give up the whole plot
because there may be a few here who have not yet seen these movies,
but what I appreciate about the inial Star Wars trilogy is that good is
shown to be more powerful than evil and that Luke Skywalker even
believes deep down in the goodness of Darth Vader. Without reminding
you too much of the movie, what I can say is that good has a way of
overcoming evil and Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Hans Solo all
inspire us by growing as young adult leaders who become wise, seless,
and compassionate while maintaining normal human aws.
Our Scripture story today is also one that highlights the importance of
wisdom and compassion and the power of love over hate and good
over evil. The story of the Good Samaritan was told by Jesus in response
to the queson, “Who is my neighbor?”
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Jesus tells a story of a man who is on a journey to Jericho and is beaten
up by robbers. He is le dying on the road. Two religious people from
the Jewish community, a priest and a Levite walk on the road near the
injured man giving hope to the man that he will be saved, but the
religious folks do not stop to help the wounded man. Instead, they
leave him suering. Thankfully, a Samaritan arrives and provides
support for the man. He bandages his wounds and takes him to safety
He provides the money and necessary care to get the man back on his
feet. This is a story of mercy and compassion. It is a simple story, but it
is profound because of what we know about the relaonship between
the Samaritan and the likely Jewish man who he nds on the road.
We have to understand that Samaritans and Jews in the days of Jesus
did not get along. Jews viewed Samaritans negavely because of their
ethnic heritage and religious beliefs. Samaritans were people from the
region of Samaria, who were of mixed ethnicity and whose religion
originated from an Ancient Israelite tribe, but whose beliefs diered
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enough from tradional Jewish faith to create animosity between the
two groups.
So why would Jesus, who is a devout Jew and even a rabbi or teacher
within his faith, make a hero of a Samaritan in this story? What might
he be trying to teach the Jewish lawyer in this story who asks the
queson, who is my neighbor?
In our world today, we can relate to the tensions found in the story of
the Good Samaritan. There are plenty of groups who experience
tension in our world.
Here are some examples: We know in many parts of the world there are
somemes religious tensions between Chrisans, Muslims, Jews,
Buddhists, and Hindus. There are somemes tension between people
who idenfy with a parcular faith and those who idenfy as atheist or
agnosc. Tradional Chrisans somemes experience tension with
groups who have some Chrisan heritage but have some dierent
doctrinal views, such as Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses. There are
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tensions between some denominaons within the Chrisan faith.
Historically, we know that Catholics and Protestants would ght in
bales over Chrisan faith convicons and within Protestansm, there
has been mulple ghts over proper doctrinal views or social values
oen leading to painful separaons. Or if we move the conversaon to
prejudice related to ethnicity or the social construct of race, we can also
highlight the problem of racism, most notably among white people
toward people of color. There are also ethnic prejudice around the
world, such as the tension among Hutus and Tutsis in Rwanda or the
Han Chinese and the Tibetan people in Tibet. We see prejudice all
around the globe.
Today, in our naon and world, we also acknowledge that people are
divided over topics like polical party aliaon, LGBTQ plus inclusion,
pro-life and pro-choice perspecves, the COVID vaccines, how to
support houseless people, and a host of other issues. Our own
community of Newberg has faced tensions on some of these topics.
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Jesus appears to me in this story to be challenging his Jewish ethnic and
religious community by encouraging them to love the Samaritans. In
sharing the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus takes on a major tension
of his day, the prejudice between Samaritans and Jews and he suggests
that his community needs to become not only inclusive of the
Samaritans but also welcoming of them. Jesus makes a hero of a
Samaritan and says to be like him.
It is interesng to me that Jesus does not directly answer the queson,
who is my neighbor? Instead, like a good rabbi, Jesus uses a story to
humble the lawyer and to make him answer a dierent queson.
Instead of telling the man, who is his neighbor? Jesus asks who in the
story is the neighbor to the man who is wounded? Jesus in essence
humbles the lawyer, by suggesng his queson is o. Rather than
wonder who is my neighbor, instead be a neighbor to everyone,
especially the person you might struggle to love because of your own
biases or prejudices.
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We are so familiar with the story of the Good Samaritan that we do not
realize how challenging Jesus is being in this story. He is addressing
ethnic and religious prejudice. He is criquing his own people and
especially the religious leadership of his day. When Jesus tells stories
like the one of the Good Samaritan, he is rocking the boat and this
incessant need to challenge people to love one another eventually
leads to his own persecuon and death. In Jesus’ day, just like our own
it was far easier for people to harbor hate and animosity than to foster
love, compassion, and mercy.
At Friday’s prayer retreat a couple days ago here at our church, we
reected on the story of the Good Samaritan. One theme that came up
was the importance of compassion in the story. We talked about
whether we are willing to be people of compassion or whether we will
be people who walk by on the other side.
I hope we might take this story to heart today and ask ourselves a
dicult queson. Who do we struggle to love in this world? Who do we
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nd it hard to show compassion to? Who do we walk by when we see
them rather than reach out to them in compassion and mercy?
Do we create camps of people, those who are my neighbors and those
who we disregard, or do we follow the example of the Good Samaritan
and seek to be a neighbor even to those who might oppress us?
Our theme for the summer sermon series, is Pilgrimage with Jesus. A
pilgrimage is another word for a spiritual journey. On our spiritual
journey through life with Jesus, may we people of compassion. May we
not ask, who is my neighbor, because of course that answer is simple-
everyone is our neighbor. No, may we seek to be a neighbor to all
people. In the city of Newberg, may we embrace everyone, even if we
might nd ourselves under judgment of one group or another. Let us
never harbor hate, instead may we foster love. The Samaritan in the
story is not worried about whether the man he is caring for is of
another ethnic or religious perspecve. He is not worried whether he is
hated by the man who is wounded. He acts with compassion and mercy
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because it is the right thing to do. The Samaritan man is not worried
whether other Samaritans think he is doing the right thing. He is acng
with compassion because he has the right heart. He has a heart in
proper alignment with God and with his fellow human being. Even
though the Samaritan is oppressed in his society, he chooses to love.
The Good Samaritan story is one of the most profound of the stories of
Jesus, because Jesus reveals himself to be a Savior who loves everyone.
Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan because Jesus relates to
those who feel oppressed and he wants everyone to be embraced,
accepted, and loved. Jesus is compassionate by nature and he longs for
people to be in touch with their own sacredness. Jesus wants his
followers to choose a compassionate journey with him on the road of
life.
Friends, as we follow Jesus, we will become people of compassion. We
will be bridgebuilders. We will foster relaonship with everyone and
choose lover over hate or prejudice. We will ulmately do this by the
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grace and power of Jesus, who is able to accomplish above what we can
ask or imagine. We will see the sacredness and beauty of every person
we meet and treat them as we would wish to be treated. We will look
for the good in every person and care for them because they are
created in the image of God.
I imagine some of us this morning may be feeling more like a wounded
person on the road of life. We may feel like we are suering on the road
and others are passing us by. If you feel this way, our church is here to
support you. May we remember to that Jesus is here in this place to
bring healing to our wounds and to empower us to join him in being a
good neighbor. Jesus is compassionate, gracious, and he is the one who
ulmately gave his life out of love for us by dying on a cross and rising
from the dead. Just as love triumphs over the grave, so does
compassion heal the wounds of this world.
On my family’s recent pilgrimage to Ireland, Norway, and England, we
decided on one of the nal days to visit the home of John Wesley in
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London. John Wesley is one of the most impacul Protestant leaders of
the last four hundred years. He lived from 1703-1791 and was the
founder of the Methodist movement, a revival movement within the
Church of England. We were able to visit John Wesley’s house and to
see the room where he prayed every morning. We also saw a desk
where he collected coins to give to the poor and we learned that he was
a supporter of William Wilberforce and others in eorts to abolish
slavery. John Wesley was a leader who demonstrated compassion for all
people. He faced great opposion from members of the Church of
England who did not appreciate his challenging ideas. However, Wesley
stayed faithful to his ministry call and God used him and others like his
mom Susannah Wesley and brother Charles Wesley to make a huge
impact for the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the world.
As we follow Jesus’ call to “Go and Do Likewise”, may we seek to show
the compassion of Jesus like the Good Samaritan did. As we prepare our
hearts to go into this world as disciples of Jesus and good neighbors to
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all, I wish to read to us a prayer by John Wesley. It is called The
Covenant and demonstrates the heart of one who follows Jesus with
humility and a heart of compassion.
Let us pray…
I am no longer my own, but yours.
Put me to what you will, place me with whom you will.
Put me to doing, put me to suering.
Let me be put to work for you or set aside for you,
Praised for you or cricized for you.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and fully surrender all things to your glory and service.
And now, O wonderful and holy God,
Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer,
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you are mine, and I am yours.
So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
Let it also be made in heaven.
Amen.
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Luke 10:25-37
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edion
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25 An expert in the law stood up to test Jesus.[a] “Teacher,” he said,
“what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is
wrien in the law? What do you read there?” 27 He answered, “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.” 28 And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do
this, and you will live.”
29 But wanng to vindicate himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my
neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to
Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him,
and took o, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was
going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other
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side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him,
passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan while traveling came
upon him, and when he saw him he was moved with compassion. 34 He
went to him and bandaged his wounds, treang them with oil and wine.
Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took
care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the
innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him, and when I come back I will
repay you whatever more you spend.’ 36 Which of these three, do you
think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the
robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to
him, “Go and do likewise.”