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Strange Exchange Part 6
Sermons from Commons Church. Intellectually honest. Spiritually passionate. Jesus at the centre. Since 2014.
Welcome to the CommonsCast. We're glad to have you here. We hope you find something meaningful in our teaching this week. Head to commons.church for more information. Alright, welcome to church everyone.
Speaker 1:My name is Jeremy and thank you for being here with us today. Honestly, it's just such a privilege to be invited into your homes in this way and continuing to move forward as a community during this season has been a real gift to us. So again, thanks for joining us. We are now beginning to start the home stretch of a series looking at the questions Jesus asked. We have today and then we have two more questions to look at after that, and hopefully you've been enjoying this series as much as I have.
Speaker 1:I had a lot of fun with the first few weeks of the series, but then listening to Bobby and Scott over the last two weeks gave me some new ways to think about some of these stories and to interact with them and I'm really grateful for that. I think that's kind of the fun of this series is a lot of these stories have perhaps been heard before. Certainly our story today will be a familiar one. But getting the chance to look at them specifically through the lens of the questions that Jesus asks. Assuming that his inquiries are more than just rhetorical flourishes, they are honest attempts to hear from the people that he encounters.
Speaker 1:This has given me a new appreciation for some of these tales. So two weeks ago Bobby looked at Peter walking on the water and what a great story that is by the way. Peter sees Jesus on the water one random night and decides to get out of the boat and try it for himself. And for a moment he's actually doing it. But then the wind and the waves catch his attention, he takes his focus off of Jesus and he begins to sink.
Speaker 1:So Jesus saunters over above the water, lifts him out of the water and helps him back into the boat. And he asks him this question: Why did you doubt? Or perhaps more literally: Why did you hesitate? We actually talked about this word at Easter this spring this idea that doubting in Greek is actually a physical response to something that's happening inside of us. To doubt is to stop short, to stutter step, to hesitate.
Speaker 1:And all of a sudden Jesus question sounds less like a rebuke Silly Peter, why did you doubt? And maybe even more like an encouragement. Peter, why did you stop? You were doing so great! Don't give up on yourself!
Speaker 1:As Bobby said last week, with Jesus walking on water is no longer the exclusive domain of kings and gods. It is now for fishermen and followers and dreamers like you and I as Jesus says to us: Don't stop trying. And then last week, Scott took us through a similar exercise. This time we found Jesus asking: Do you still not understand? Here Jesus warns of the yeast of bad teaching that can slowly find its way into us and through us, but the disciples think he's actually talking about bread and the bread they forgot to bring for lunch.
Speaker 1:So Jesus likes analogies, his disciples maybe not so much. But again this question can feel a bit like an accusation. Do you still not understand? Are you really so dull? And to be fair there probably is some element of that in the story.
Speaker 1:Jesus probably did get a little annoyed at times with these men that really did struggle to get it. None of the Gospel writers had the guts to record it, but you imagine at some point along the way Jesus probably did just get fed enough and say Look, I'm taking a break, Mary Magdalene, you take over from here. And yet still, when we hear Jesus ask Do you still not understand? We have to hear that in the context of his larger commitment to these friends. You still not understand it was not followed with abandonment, it was followed with more investment, more relationship, more grace.
Speaker 1:In other words, frustrated as he may have been at times, Jesus stuck with his friends until they did understand. I don't know about you, but I take a lot of encouragement in that, that Jesus doesn't walk away, Jesus doesn't give up, Jesus doesn't ever leave us on our own. But the question Do you still not understand? Reminds us that Jesus is still working on us. And I love the way that Scott and Bobby began these last two weeks to give us new ears to hear the grace embedded in these questions Jesus asks.
Speaker 1:Now, we have three more questions in this series. Today we've got a very familiar one, but first let's pray together. God of all good questions, who comes to us, who speaks to us, who reminds us of just how willing you are to journey with us, Who says to us: Why did you hesitate? Why did you stop? Why do you not keep going?
Speaker 1:Who says to us: Do you still not understand? But who does not walk away, who pours even more investment, more grace, more love into us. God who believes we are capable, then even more we sometimes believe in ourselves. Thank you for this grace that surrounds us, that lifts us, that puts us back in the boat and tells us to try one more time. This love that never gives up on us but keeps moving forward with us.
Speaker 1:As you ask us another question today, one that asks us to challenge our assumptions about each other, our assumptions about you, Would we be enlivened to a journey that will take us the rest of our lives? As we come closer to you, as we understand you in new ways, would we always see more beauty, more grace with every step we take towards you? Spirit of God, be near to us today, asking us good questions. In the strong name of the Risen Christ we pray, Amen. Okay, today we want to talk about eternal life Q and A interpretation and the story behind the story.
Speaker 1:Because today our question is: What is written in the Law? How do you read it? And this is a question that leads to the story of the Good Samaritan which ends with another really good question: which of these was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers? But it's really this first one that opens the story that we want to focus our attention on today. So why don't we start by jumping right in and reading the story because no matter how many times we have heard this before this really is a good one.
Speaker 1:Luke 10 starting in verse 25 we read that on one occasion an expert of the law stood up to test Jesus. Teacher, he asked, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Now the NIV here translates this expert in the law. Literally though, in Greek the word is lawyer. So it doesn't necessarily mean that he was an expert in religious law.
Speaker 1:The term that gets used for that in the Gospels is usually gramatus which is then usually translated scribes or teachers of the law. Here the text just calls this man a nomachus or a lawyer which is worth pointing out because I think often the questions that get asked of Jesus are seen or read as antagonistic. Often when the experts are asking Jesus questions they are trying to catch him on a technicality. That doesn't necessarily seem to be what's happening here. This seems like it's an honest question.
Speaker 1:I think that's important because I think Jesus' response is honest as well. One of the things I think we have to be careful of when it comes to the Gospels is maybe over reading a conflict narrative into them. I mean, does Jesus have conflict with other religious leaders? Of course he does. But when we assume conflict in every encounter going in I think we're going to miss some of the nuance that's present in these stories and these conversations.
Speaker 1:By the way, that's also just some good advice for life in general. Is there conflict in your life? Of course there is, but that doesn't mean that you should assume conflict as the default starting point all the time. Often, conflict in our relationships is the result of the story that we bring with us into the encounter. Often just as much as the product of the actual encounter.
Speaker 1:Look, I promise you if I am looking for a fight with my wife, I will find it regardless of the conversation. Now maybe that's just because I'm really good at that, but I think all of us could stand to assume the best about each other a little more in all of our encounters. So with that said, I'm going to assume the best about this man, this nomocost, this expert in the law, and I'm going to assume that he comes to Jesus intent on actually learning something about eternal life. But before we go any further we have to talk about this: What must I do to inherit eternal life? Even before we get to Jesus' question, this question is a really interesting one for me.
Speaker 1:Partly for what it tells us about us, but partly for what it tells us about this man as well. In large parts of modern Christianity we tend to assume that we have all of us already inherited eternal life, right? You know, where we end up, whether we go to heaven or we land in hell, that's up for grabs maybe, but eternal life seems to be a given. And that's not necessarily the unchallenged bias that's present in the scriptures. For example, this man seems to think that eternality is optional, that he can inherit eternal life or perhaps fail to achieve that goal and instead fade into oblivion.
Speaker 1:And that doesn't come out of nowhere. Paul writes in Romans that the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Now, it's perfectly fine to argue that Paul is using death in a metaphorical sense there. That the wages of sin is not actually death per se, but instead some experience of either judgment or purification in some kind of afterlife. That's fine, that's probably the majority view in Christian history.
Speaker 1:But it is important to note that the Bible is not always as clear as some of our theology would like to make it out to be. In fact, that seems to be what Jesus' response is implying here. What is written in the law? He replied. How do you read it?
Speaker 1:And again, this is of course the story that sets us off on the road toward the Good Samaritan, so there's lots of ground to cover today, but then there's a lot here already packed into just this question from Jesus before we even get to the story that unfolds from it. So let's take a closer look here. First of all, Jesus thinks about this man's initial question how do I inherit eternal life? And there's something going on in that. Regardless of whether you or I or Jesus agree with his presupposition, Jesus seems to see no need to correct him before fully understanding where he's coming from.
Speaker 1:And I think right now, maybe more than ever, that is a really important point. Taking the time to understand what someone is actually saying to you, actually asking of you, investing some of your energy to draw out of them more clarity and shading, asking more questions before jumping to conclusions this is sacred work. Nuance is not your enemy. Nuance is the enemy of the algorithms that feed us what we already want here. Now, are there opinions that are not worth your time?
Speaker 1:Of course there are. Are there positions that do not warrant further explanation? Of course there are. Can you ask all the questions in the world and still come to a place of deep disagreement and divide? Course you can, I'm not naive and neither is Jesus here.
Speaker 1:And yet Jesus' default is still to try to find the common ground between himself and this man. And look, if your Christology accounts for a Jesus who already knows how this conversation is going to go, who already knows this man is looking for a way to lawyer his way out of loving his neighbor, I mean a Jesus who already knows the answers to these questions and still decides to ask them anyway. And I would argue that all that that should do is reinforce the necessity of curiosity within the limits of our own imagined omniscience. Because often we don't know each other and we still don't ask enough questions of each other. But that leads me to the second thing that really catches my attention here.
Speaker 1:Jesus asks, What is written in the law? An appeal to some objective reality both men can agree to. Then he says, How do you read it? An openness to the subjective experience this man has making sense of that same objective reality. And for me this is just really important that every conversation, no matter who we are talking to, no matter what we are talking about, even something as sacred as Torah for two Jewish men.
Speaker 1:That conversation always comes at the level of personal encounter. How do you read it is an incredibly generous and empowering question because even though Jesus has his interpretation of law, the one that he ultimately wants to get to and communicate, he actually assumes that different people are going to read the same things in very different ways. And he's wise enough to know that his influence will only grow the more he's willing to listen to those he wants to speak to. Let me say that in a different way: the more you listen, the more you will influence. And for someone like myself who loves to hear the sound of their own voice, that is the Word of the Lord today.
Speaker 1:Which is why I love that Jesus invites this man not just to quote a verse he's heard from someone else, but to actually give his interpretation of what it all means back to God. And imagine that: Jesus asking you and actually being interested in what you think the Scriptures mean. Know this: you are interpreting everything all the time, it is Harry Potter or ancient history or the parables of Jesus. You are creating meaning in your mind as you go all the time. And that's okay.
Speaker 1:Because that's what you're supposed to do. It's why Jesus asks you how do you read it. Now if you find yourself so in love with how you read it right now that you're unwilling to change that, or you're unwilling to listen to a different perspective if you're unwilling to hear Jesus push back against some of your assumptions. If you find yourself unwilling to respond to the Spirit who speaks grace and peace to you right now, then that is a problem. But the problem is incalcitrance, not interpretation.
Speaker 1:We're all interpreting all the time and Jesus invites it. Okay, so how do you read it? Jesus asks. And our friend gives sort of the perfect answer here. I mean, you remember back to the days of Sunday school the answer is always Jesus.
Speaker 1:Well, here's where that comes from. He says 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 love your neighbor as yourself. In other words, he quotes Jesus to Jesus and that's a bold strategy. Now to be fair this is actually a combination of Deuteronomy six and Leviticus 19 so it's possible he has come up with this on his own but it is also precisely the combination that Jesus offers in Matthew 22 and Mark 12 and another paraphrased version over in John 13. So it's likely this is something that this man who has been interested in Jesus has heard before from Jesus.
Speaker 1:And quoting Jesus to Jesus is just a very good lawyerly strategy in this kind of a debate after all. Notice this: Jesus' question was What is in the scriptures and how do you read them? And this man offers a juxtaposition of scriptures in response. This is really important I think. The work of interpreting scripture is not just about picking and choosing which ones we like, it's about deciding how those scriptures interact with each other in our lives.
Speaker 1:When Jesus places the command to love God alongside the responsibility to love neighbor, he is saying something about the interpretive grid with which he reads all scripture. Primarily that unenacted love is not love. As Christians, when we affirm that Jesus is the divine logos from John one, the Word of God to humanity, we are saying something about the interpretive grid we use to read all Scripture. Primarily, all of these inspired words about God lead us to the Word of God who then calls us to re examine all of our assumptions about the Divine in the light of his non violent life and sacrifice. In other words, even if you do nothing but quote scripture all day long, you are interpreting scripture at the same time.
Speaker 1:And the sooner you come to terms with that, the sooner you can get on with the conversation Jesus wants to have with you about what it means. Our man here quotes Jesus to Jesus and Jesus says, You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live. By the way, really interesting moment here again because remember we started this conversation with this man looking to inherit eternal life somehow. And to start Jesus elides the assumption that he doesn't already have some kind of eternal life and now he just completely ignores the eternal part completely and says great, love God, love your neighbor, this is life period.
Speaker 1:Which by the way is a much better way to think about eternal life. Eternal life is nothing more than life that learns to live fully here and now and there and forever. In other words, the more alive you can become right now, the more alive you will be for whatever comes next. But, wanting to justify himself, our friend asked Jesus, And who exactly is my neighbor? And again, I mean I love this moment in the story because it just seems so very lawyerly.
Speaker 1:Now I don't want to pick on any lawyers here. I know lawyers, I love lawyers, but this is sort of peak lawyer, am I right? Great, we're agreed. Neighbors it is. I'm ready to go and start doing some loving.
Speaker 1:Just one quick question, Jesus. Who exactly should I love? Now, I got a son, you know that. He's seven and he's got away with words himself. And we were sitting at the dinner table a couple weeks ago and we had ordered out and he had asked for vegetable fried rice, which is one of his favorites except inconveniently the vegetables.
Speaker 1:Now, for the most part he doesn't mind his vegetables. We are vegetarian after all so there's only so much white rice you can eat before you need a little color in your life. However, he is not a fan of the cauliflower or the broccoli. Our apologies to the crucifera family of flowering plants. At the table that night I said, Look, you are not leaving until you eat your dinner so I don't know who I've become.
Speaker 1:But he said to me, Dad, I just don't like cauliflower and that's okay. Not everyone is the same, everyone is different and that's a good thing. So no, I don't think I'm going to eat this after all. We may have to dial back the diversity training in our household a little bit, but this strikes me perhaps the way this lawyer's response struck Jesus. A very polite and friendly way to avoid the cauliflower.
Speaker 1:So Jesus tells a story and I've taught about this story a number of times before. The last time was in a series called Parables of Grace. By all means check that out if you want to dive into more details and depth there. Today we're focusing on the question Jesus asked at the front end of the story though. The parable unfolds this way starting in verse 30.
Speaker 1:A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho where he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, they beat him and went away leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road and when he saw the man he passed by on the other side. And so too a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him passed by on the far side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came to where the man was and when he saw him he took pity on him.
Speaker 1:He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. And he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out 2 denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. Look after him, he said. When I return I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have had.
Speaker 1:Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers? Asked Jesus. Now, first of all, this is a very familiar story. Even if you're not particularly familiar with Jesus, you probably have some awareness of this parable. The phrase Good Samaritan is idiomatic in our culture after all.
Speaker 1:Of course it's the Samaritan who is the neighbor in the story, but one of the defining characteristics of the parable is the twist. Parables subvert our expectations and the twist here is bound up in years of ethnic animosity. Samaritans were the mixed descendants of Jewish people and Assyrians who had lived together, fell in love and married during the time of the Assyrian conquest of the Northern Kingdom in Israel. And that was about five hundred years before the time of Jesus but hard feelings die hard and some of those prejudices still dominated cultural expectations. So for Jesus to juxtapose Jewish characters and by the way not just Jewish characters but a Levite and a priest literally representative Jewish characters against an unnamed random Samaritan.
Speaker 1:I mean this carried a level of scandal to it. In fact, when our lawyer friend answers Jesus' final question Who was the neighbor? He responds The one who had mercy on him. Mean even though he has to acknowledge Jesus' point he still can't even bring himself to name the neighbor as Samaritan. I don't see color he says.
Speaker 1:Maybe you should says Jesus. Still, what's this story about? Well, it's about a priest and a Levite, religious Jews who may have had very good religious objections to touching a broken, bleeding, perhaps dead man. Remember blood and death can make you ritually unclean and both these men had specific roles that required their ritual purity. It's about a Samaritan who practiced a deficient broken form of the same religion Jesus followed.
Speaker 1:Remember Samaritans were not just an ethnic group they were also a religious minority. It's about the fact that love for God that does not land in concrete love for our neighbor is not in fact love for God regardless of our theological justifications. It's a story about the expansion of our terms. It's about how a word like neighbour that could very justifiably be reduced and be limited to those like us, those familiar to us, those who can afford to purchase homes near us, can be unbound in Christ to include all those we come across in the course of our lifetimes. But of course all of this means that this is ultimately a story about interpretation.
Speaker 1:It's a story designed not just to answer who is our neighbor but what is in the scriptures and how do you read them. It's a story that reminds us that we are all of us reading the same scripture but we often read them very differently. It's a story designed to ask: Are you ready for God? To enliven and enlighten and expand and push back the boundaries of all of your assumptions. Starting with your assumption about neighbor and continuing to every roadblock you throw up between yourself and God's infinite love.
Speaker 1:Look, if we leave the Good Samaritan at just the question of our neighbor there is still a lifetime to learn just right there. But if we push back the story back before objections to who is our neighbour back to where Jesus begins the encounter with a question to us Perhaps what we find is that we can still hear Jesus asking What is in the Scriptures? How do you read them? And are you willing to allow me to read them with you? Because if that's the question that we actually allow to reach us, then our neighbor will only be the beginning and the journey toward Jesus will finally come alive eternally within us.
Speaker 1:As everything we read comes to life. As everything we encounter is reimagined in Jesus. As this entire world that surrounds us is bathed in the light of the grace and peace that comes to find us. What is in the scriptures? How do you read them?
Speaker 1:Will you let me read them with you? Let's pray. God who comes to meet us, who opens the scriptures to us, who teaches us to look for the grace, to look for the peace, to look for the love that we see embodied in Jesus throughout the entire story of the human experience. God, might we read with new eyes eyes that have come to life eternally by your Spirit. To look for grace, to look for peace, to look for love, and when we see it, to grab ahold of it and incorporate it into our lives.
Speaker 1:May it become more than just how we read, it become the way with which we walk in the world. And as that happens, as we are enlivened, enlightened, as we are transformed into the likeness of your Son, May we see you at work around us healing, renewing, saving everything. In the strong name of the Risen Christ, we pray, Amen.