Luke 10:25-37 And now a lawyer stood up and, to test him, asked, ‘Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? What is your reading of it?’ He replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.’ Jesus said to him, ‘You have answered right, do this and life is yours.’ But the man was anxious to justify himself and said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’ In answer Jesus said, ‘A man was once on his way down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of bandits; they stripped him, beat him and then made off, leaving him half dead. Now a priest happened to be travelling down the same road, but when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Levite who came to the place saw him, and passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan traveller who came on him was moved with compassion when he saw him. He went up to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. He then lifted him onto his own mount and took him to an inn and looked after him. Next day, he took out two denarii and handed them to the innkeeper and said, “Look after him, and on my way back I will make good any extra expense you have.” Which of these three, do you think, proved himself a neighbour to the man who fell into the bandits’ hands?’ He replied, ‘The one who showed pity towards him.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go, and do the same yourself.’ -- The New Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1995, c1985
A Study Although some say it's not an excuse for their behavior, the Law could have been the source of the tide of outrage against the priest and the Levite over the centuries. We should remember that the Law forbade them to be unclean while performing their duties; the man was left for dead, and probably appeared to be dead. They could justly have been thought to be keeping clean (by not touching the dead body) for their duties, and excused for their behavior, as others using the road might tend to the poor fellow. So Jesus is making a fairly radical proclamation against the temple religious leaders in appearing to hold the priest and the Levite to account for withholding their care from the man lying by the road.
At great risk of substantial understatement, in other places in the New Testament we are reminded that the Samaritan and the Jew were not at all friendly toward each other. In the gospel attributed to John, for example, the temple elite ask Jesus if he is not really a Samaritan in cahoots with the evil one! The Samaritan woman at the well reminds Jesus that Jews hate Samaritans, and that it is odd that he would ask her to give him a drink.
A Reflection Jesus is often thought to have had strong Pharisaic leanings, if he was not actually a Pharisee. He would of course fall back on the Law for his answer. The two Great Commandments are found in the Hebrew Bible (Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18), and recited properly by the lawyer here. We get the impression that this lawyer was trying to test Jesus, and hence his testy followup question: "Who is my neighbor?".
Jesus got the lawyer to answer his own question, and did it in a loving way. Today, wouldn't it be likely that we would dismiss such a question with a contemptuous sneer? But, would that be showing love for a neighbor? Teaching within teaching, always, Jesus shows us the way to answer a question with a loving response when its mere asking makes us angry.
If I had been a member of the Essene sect, I would have been required to hate those who were not "children of the Light:" that is, people who weren't also Essenes. Being Jewish was not the acid test for all Jews as to who was potentially love-able.
As the gospel tells it, the Law contains the answer. Only two requirements. Yet we have so much trouble with them that one would think there were two thousand. As Bob Dylan put it so succinctly, "When will they every learn?".
A Collect
O God, you have taught us to keep all your commandments by loving you and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit, that we may be devoted to you with our whole heart, and united to one another with pure affection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Luke 10:17-24 The seventy–two came back rejoicing. ‘Lord,’ they said, ‘even the devils submit to us when we use your name.’ He said to them, ‘I watched Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Look, I have given you power to tread down serpents and scorpions and the whole strength of the enemy; nothing shall ever hurt you. Yet do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you; rejoice instead that your names are written in heaven.’ Just at this time, filled with joy by the Holy Spirit, he said, ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to little children. Yes, Father, for that is what it has pleased you to do. Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’ Then turning to his disciples he spoke to them by themselves, ‘Blessed are the eyes that see what you see, for I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear, and never heard it.’ -- The New Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1995, c1985
A Study Was Jesus' remark about Satan caused by the success of those sent out? Or was his remark a caution to them that Satan and his band were cast out from YHWH's presence because of their unrepentant pride? The latter interpretation might fit better with Jesus' next thoughts: be happy that your names are written in heaven, not that you have supernatural power.
A Reflection "... rejoice instead that your names are written in heaven."
I don't harbor any suspicion that these were especially chosen men who went out in their 35 pairs. In fact, I have a strong suspicion that they were 70 men like me, warts and all, who were within the sound of Jesus' voice -- they may have, in fact, been the entire collection of those who were there with him.
Jesus has a special gift. He can take people, bless them and have them break apart into their blessed and craven natures, and send the blessed parts out while letting their baser natures fade away.
Imagine the wonder that each of these seventy encountered, when in faith they could heal the infirm and make the insane to be reconciled with the ordinary. It would be almost as if each of us had the magical powers of the little alien being in "E.T.," who could trace his illuminated forefinger across a dead thing and resurrect it.
"WOW!" "Look what I can do!"
Jesus, of course, knew better. He knew that the power they were showing forth is that given by the Holy Spirt. But more, he knew that by their faith they were counted among the chosen of God, and that their names were already written in heaven -- before they left!
As then, so it is today. It is not the gifts we use, given by the spirit, that write our names in heaven. It is our open-ness in faith and our belief that allow the Spirit to work within us -- it is that faith working in us that makes us the chosen of God, able to see what we see and hear what we hear, more than kings and prophets ever did. Thanks be to God.
A Collect
Heavenly Father, whose blessed Son came not to be served but to serve: Bless all who, following in his steps, give themselves to the service of others; that with wisdom, patience, and courage, they may minister in his Name to the suffering, the friendless, and the needy; for the love of him who laid down his life for us, your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
