Luke 10:25-37
July 10, 2016
When I graduated from seminary, a dear friend got me this Mister Rogers Sweater Changing Mug. Whenever you pour hot water into the mug, Mr. Roger’s jacket changes from a sport’s coat to a yellow sweater. Because in Mister Roger’s Neighborhood, when Mr. Roger's came home everyday he changed out of his sport’s coat and into a sweater. But that’s not the coolest thing about this mug. The coolest thing about this mug is that the outside of the mug is decorated with quotes by Mr. Rogers. It even has the lyrics to Mr. Roger’s theme song. I’m going to sing the chorus. If you know it I invite you to join in with me.
It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood
A beautiful day for a neighbor.
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?
Won’t You be my neighbor?
While I loved Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood of make-believe as a child, I’ve come to love him even more as an adult. Because as an adult, I know that it's difficult to be a neighbor. Particularly to be a neighbor to those affected by the racial disparities in law enforcement . And this past week we’ve seen firsthand how these racial disparities wreck havoc in our communities. On Tuesday morning in Baton Rouge, Alton Sterling was shot dead after an altercation with police. On Wednesday night in St. Paul, Philando Castile was shot by police when he was trying to show the officer his license and registration. On Thursday night in Dallas, 4 Police Officers and 1 civilian were killed during a peaceful protest against police shootings. Amidst the violence that is raging all around us, how do we as Christians show mercy to our neighbor? Particularly to our neighbor's who look and act differently than we do.
Our Scripture passage for today teaches us that we are particularly called to be a neighbor to people who are different from us. The passage begins by a lawyer asking Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. The lawyer is trying to test Jesus’ knowledge of the law, thereby challenging his authority. Jesus does not take the lawyer’s bait. Instead, Jesus asks him what is written in the law. The lawyer answer that we are to love God and our neighbors if we want to inherit eternal life. But just who are our neighbors, the lawyer asks Jesus? This is the question that evokes the entire parable. Jesus does not answer the lawyer right away. Instead, Jesus tells us the parable of the Good Samaritan to expand our understanding of what it means to be a neighbor and to love a neighbor.
The parable begins with a man traveling on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. Which is about a 20 mile journey in the wilderness. This is a dangerous road, not one to travel alone. While he is traveling the man fell into the hands of robbers. These robbers stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him for dead. The man needs help. He is wounded and alone. Since he is away from home, he must rely on the kindness of strangers. And for this wounded traveler the strangers come in the form of a Priest, a Levite, and a Samaritan.
Each of these three men respond to the wounded stranger because of who they are and who the man is. The injured man in this parable is a Jew. Jesus does not explain why neither the priest nor the Levite help the man, who was one of their own. Especially given that priests and Levites were highly esteemed Jewish religious figures. The point is that neither men is willing to assume the risk that comes with pausing on a dangerous road. Nothing excuses the unwillingness of either the priest or the Levite to help out a brother in need.
Then a Samaritan sees the injured man lying on the side of the road. Now Jews and Samaritans were enemies. They claimed to worship the same God, but each group had its own Scriptures, temples, and religious practices. The Jews held the Samaritans in contempt. Seeing them as unfaithful to the law of Moses and to the temple worship in Jerusalem. Different ethnic identities and longstanding cultural animosity gives us every reason to assume that the Samaritan, like the priest and the Levite, would pass by the wounded traveler .
Except the Samaritan does something shocking. Luke tells us that the Samaritan was moved with pity for the wounded traveler. The Samaritan bandages his wounds, puts him on his own animal, brings him to an inn and takes care of him. The next day he pays the innkeeper, and promises to continue to pay the innkeeper for any further expenses. He’s really going out of his way to ensure that the wounded traveler can recover from his injuries. The Samaritan treats the man not as an enemy, but as one dear to him. His love for the wounded traveler creates a neighborly relationship with him.
The parable ends with Jesus asking the lawyer which of these men acted as a neighbor towards the wounded traveler? Rather than say, “the Samaritan,” the lawyer answers, “The one who showed him mercy.” Mercy is treating someone with compassion even when they don’t deserve it. And mercy is the heart of neighbor love. Because mercy is saying that I am going to treat you with love, dignity, and respect even when you don’t deserve it. This parable teaches us that practicing mercy towards our brothers and sisters is how we inherit eternal life.
Mercy is also at the heart of Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood of Make-Believe. His song “Won’t You Be My Neighbor,” teaches children that Mr. Roger's loves them even though they haven’t done anything to earn his love. It doesn’t matter if they’ve been bad or good that day, if they are smart, or talented, Mr. Roger's wants every child who watches his show to feel that they are his neighbor. When he asks the children if they will be his neighbor, he’s saying that the things that divide them- things like race, class, gender, political affiliation, do not matter as much as our shared humanity. And that we cannot live into our shared humanity until we learn to treat every boy and girl we interact with with mercy.
Unfortunately, we do not live in Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood of Make-Believe. We live in the real world. A world that celebrates rugged individualism over and against neighbor love. How then, are we to live out this neighbor love in our everyday lives? Again, I find Mr. Roger's to be a helpful place to start. A few days ago I was scrolling through my Facebook news feed. Now I have Facebook Friends from all over the political, and racial spectrum. My liberal white friends were posting status updates voicing their outrage at yet another racially motivated police shooting. My black friends were asking if there will be justice for Pilando Castile and Alton Sterling. Some of my conservative friends were wondering how these shootings would affect their right to bear arms. But one status update caught my eye. It was a picture of Mr. Rogers and Daniel Tiger with this quote:
When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of disaster, ‘I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers-so many caring people in this world.
And it didn’t take me long to look for the helpers in my Facebook news feed. Some of my Facebook friends are teaching English to children in Haiti. Some are getting ready to welcome their first child, and begin the exciting path of parenthood. Some of my other Facebook friends are working to end hunger, juvenile delinquency, and homelessness. And when I read my news feed looking for the helpers, I started to see women and men who care deeply about the future of this country. And are demanding that we come together as neighbors and figure out how to show mercy to the wounded strangers lying on a pavement in Baton Rouge, St. Paul, and Dallas.
I want to close by asking you to think about who are the helpers in your life? Who are the people who, at great cost to themselves, are going out of their way to show love, mercy, and respect to strangers? [Pause] Once you have that person in your mind, I want you to think about how you might take their example and become a helper yourself? Because the parable of the Good Samaritan doesn’t just ask us to celebrate, or welcome, other people who show mercy to strangers. It asks us to get our hands dirty. To put some skin in the game. To walk alongside men and women who are hurting and suffering and share with them the hope we have in Jesus Christ. Because we are all wounded strangers lying on the side of the road waiting for someone to help us. We’ve all been beaten up as we wander through the wilderness of this life. And by the grace of God, God sent his only son so that we don’t have to wander through the wilderness alone. We gather together for worship on Sunday to proclaim that God loves us. And that we have a community to remind us of God’s love. And, having received that love, how can we not go out into the world singing:
It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood
A beautiful day for a neighbor
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?
Won’t you be my neighbor?
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