A sermon preached by the Reverend Dr. Royal Kemper
on Sunday, July 15, 2007
at Abington Presbyterian Church, Abington, PA. 

Is the World My Neighbor?

Deuteronomy 30:9-14
Luke 10:25-37

IF MEMORY SERVES me correctly, it was Walker Percy in his novel, The Second Coming, has one of his characters report this:

The question was: "Do you believe in God?"

It wasn't that the Episcopal priest, Jack Curl, who Will Barrett was speaking to, was afraid of verbal attack, but that he did not want to be made out to be a fool - the butt of some body's joke that he didn't quite get.

So was the question "serious" that the lawyer put to Jesus. He asked: "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

Little did he realize that his seemingly simple, straight-forward question would take such a turn of events. Luke, in his gospel account, says that the lawyer's intent was to test Jesus in his understanding of the commandments, and very likely to show-case his own expertise in the subject. There is, however, no trace of hostility in his behavior or his remarks. Instead, he shows great admiration for this unknown rabbi as he has just concluded a stellar performance in his debate when he silenced the Sadducees.

Jesus now asks the inquiring lawyer, "What is written in the law" How do you read?" And without hesitation the lawyer responds

Jesus follows up with this remark: "You have answered right; do this and you shall live."

It is only Luke who adds an example with the story of the Good Samaritan. It tells of a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho who fell among robbers who tore his clothes off, beat him up and left him for dead. Now the interesting part. A priest and a Levite come along the same road and continue on their way. Then, as good fortune would have it, a Samaritan stops, provides some basic medical attention, packs the bruised and beaten man on his own beast and delivers him to an inn close by. He advises the inn keeper to provide whatever the man requires for medical attention and on his way back, he will fully pay for his expenses.

Not only is the Samaritan going out of his way to be helpful, but goes the second mile for a complete and total stranger. With Luke's illustration, the Good Samaritan is more of an example than it is a symbol and not a parable, for a parable would accentuate some aspect of the kingdom of God with words such as, 'the kingdom of God is like....'

There is something foundational in the religious motif that is expressed here that singles out the very life-blood of the nation Israel. Israel's identify is articulated in verses in Deuteronomy (15:37) that declares that the people are admonished to remember and do the commandments the Lord God has given them. In fact, this Deuteronomic passage is one of four associated with the liturgy that is part of dairy worship in the Temple. Its purpose is to show that one may receive the yoke of the kingdom of Heaven (God) and then later, the yoke of the commandments. In fact, the eminent Jewish philosopher of the late 12th century, Maimonides, states that there are no less than 613 positive commandments that are to be observed!

What is being emphasized is that the nation of Israel can survive only as long as it faithfully fulfills the divine word of the Lord in everyday life. With this, we may have gained insight into the academic strength now manifest in the lawyer's earlier training.

In Mark's version of this account where the lawyer seeking answers from Jesus, asks him,

"Which commandment is the first of all?" Jesus proceeds to reply with the Shema Hear O Israel:

What may be at bottom of the lawyer's questioning heart is the search for assurance that what he is doing in his strict adherence to the commandments is what will usher him into the kingdom of heaven. What bothers him, is to settle once and for all, just who is neighbor? What he thinks in his heart may be that his friends fill the category of "neighbor" - someone like himself with whom he could show compassion in their time of need! Remember too, that the Jews were not obliged to show love, or any degree of compassion for anyone outside their religious circle. Jesus has touched on a sore spot, for the Samaritan that Luke mentions is not the kind of company that Jews wanted to keep.

In Jesus' recitation of the Shema, shema Hear O Israel: The Lord our God is one, he has demonstrated his superior knowledge of Scripture in recalling Deuteronomy 6:4 and 5 which is the foundation of the Israelite nation. With this he goes on to single out another passage found in Leviticus 19:18

Again, we learn that it is Mark who indicates exactly how a person can love God with his whole being. In the statement of loving God with one's heart, soul, and mind, he goes on to complete the list with the word 'strength.' Luke, on the other hand, closes the list with the word 'mind' just as in Deuteronomy the word 'might' is used. What is being emphasized is this: it is one thing to resolve in one's mind that to perform acts of kindness is the goal we strive for; putting that desire into action is the test.

Jesus surpasses the lawyer's question about who is his neighbor by identifying the second most important commandment which is to love your neighbor as much as you admire yourself! Stop thinking loving thoughts solely about God, and go on to show how much you love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and put it to good use with your neighbor - whomever that may be!

Notice that the two commandments are now bundled together into one: that to love God is important, but to love your neighbor is putting that admiration into action! - it's putting the pedal to the metal.

Is the world really my neighbor - who may live down the street or halfway around the world. It is the person who needs my help.

We have come a long way exploring what started out to be a simple, but straight-forward question: How do I inherit eternal life?

Do I inherit my parents, grandparents faith when their last will and testament is read by another lawyer? Or do I have to establish my own degree of faith as I hear the Word of God speak to me? It is one thing to resolve to do good, but take the picture out of the frame and put it to work. As for the yoke that Jesus spoke about in matters of religion - that is how to love God, listen to other words from St. Matthew who quotes Jesus as saying:

The Elder John in his First Epistle frames the answer for the New Testament in this fashion when asked why anyone would be interested in learning about eternal life. He wrote:

                    "We love him because he first loved us." (I John 4:19)

 and this

The hymn-writer spelled it out for us with these lines

Having recently visited the Island of lona and the Abbey off the west coast of Scotland I am bidden to recount the admonition of George Me Leod whose life reflected so much the faith that stimulated him while at the Abbey. This is what he said:

"I simply argue that the cross be raised again at the center of the market-place as well as on the steeple of the church. I am recovering the claim that Jesus was not crucified in a cathedral between two golden candlesticks, but on a cross between two thieves, on the town garbage heap, at a crossroad so cosmopolitan that they had to write his title in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. It was the kind of place where cynics talk smut, thieves curse, and soldiers gamble. And that's where Christians ought to be and what Christians ought to be about."

Abington Presbyterian Church, Abington, Pennsylvania,  www.apcusa.org