Who Is My Neighbor? and What Happened to the Neighborhood?

I have concluded that for far too long now, we Christians have not been doing church very well.

Leviticus 19:18
Luke 10:25-37

So, it’s a trick question.
Luke tells us at the beginning that it’s a set up.

But it’s a universal question, wouldn’t you say?
It’s a question every single one of us wants to ask – and probably has asked at some time or another:

What do I have to do to have eternal life?

Of course, it didn’t matter to Jesus whether it was a trick question or not.
Luke saw it as opportunity for another Jesus parable.

To the questioner (and to us) Jesus asks,
What does our scripture say?
What is written in the sacred documents?
What does our faith say about what you have to do?

Well, the questioner knew the answer to this.
He knew his catechism well.
As a good faithful card-carrying member of the faith community, he had this drilled into him from as early as he could remember:
The Shema: the daily prayer repeated several times each day – not only the prayer, but also a commandment, really.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind”.
And, what is considered to be the great commandment of Moses:
love your neighbor as yourself.

Then Jesus could reply, “Right you are! Do these two things and you will live forever.”

Now he could have stopped there.
Trick question answered.
There could be no argument with that response.
That’s what the catechism said.
That’s what all good Jews believed.
That’s what guided their moral life.

But Luke wants to share a parable with us.

Now, parables are not sermon illustrations –
they are not words of wisdom or prophetic proverbs to use as guides for life-decisions,
no parables are a specific form of story Jesus used to redefine common wisdom –
to turn the tables on what everyone valued –
to overturn common ideas about the real world and how life should be lived.
Parables were like jokes in a way – they had punch lines that followed a logical set-up that always left the listener saying “What?” – or words to that affect.

When Jesus told the questioner to do these two things and he would have eternal life,
the questioner was taken back somewhat.
There has to be more to it than that.
So, just who is my neighbor?

And that’s when Jesus told the story –
the story that is probably the most familiar of all the stories in history.

One researcher found in a survey that nearly half of the people interviewed said they would be able to tell the story of the Good Samaritan if asked to do so.
Among those who attended religious services every week, the proportion who thought they could tell the story rose to nearly 70% percent.

Even if you don’t get all the details right, you know the story.

But whether or not one could accurately retell this parable, the concept of the "Good Samaritan" is familiar enough to everyone.
We name hospitals,
churches,
institutions of mercy,
even legislation in his honor.

But, you know, the listeners to this parable in Jesus’ day are not that different from you and me.
They weren’t sure where Jesus was going with this story.
Who is my neighbor?, the questioner asked.

And Jesus answered with this story.

Now, all of listeners would know what Jesus was talking about:
the traveler was going from Jerusalem to Jericho – obviously he was one of them – a fellow Jew, a tribal member, a neighbor, if you will.

And they knew that road to be unsafe at any speed at any time of day or night – and doubly so if traveling alone.
Robbers were a fact of life there.
So this part of the story was to be expected.

Now along come, in succession, a priest and a Levite.

A priest is a leader of the community.
In that theocratic society a priest is the highest office you can hold.
A priest is the steward of the religious tradition of the Jews, including the moral law.

A Levite was a member of the most religious family in Israel.

If anyone would know what to do morally in that situation,
if anyone had a reputation for righteousness, it would be a Levite.

The expectation, you see, of anyone hearing the parable was that if anyone would stop to help the poor guy in the ditch,
it would be either a priest or a Levite.

But they didn't.
Jesus said, they pass by the man in the ditch.

You would expect the audience at that point to get a little nervous.
I mean, priests and Levites were held up as moral examples in that society.
If this parable were simply an illustration of the decent thing to do,
then these two exemplars of morality would stop and help.
They knew the law.
The law is in Leviticus.
Everybody knew it.
You "love your neighbor as yourself."

And what's more, they all knew what that word "neighbor" meant.

Your neighbor was a fellow countryman.
Your neighbor was a fellow Jew.
The man in the ditch is a Jew.
The priest and the Levite are Jews.
So the expectation of the audience was they would stop and help the neighbor.
But they don't stop.

Jesus isn't taking us where everybody expected.

What is Jesus up to?
Here it comes.
"But a Samaritan, while traveling, came near him."

Now let me tell you what the expectation would be if you were a Jew.
The Samaritan is going to finish off this poor guy lying in the ditch.
That's the kind of people Samaritans were, as far as the Jew was concerned.
Samaritans were identified as the enemy.
There was a saying in those days, "Jews have no dealings with Samaritans."
Everybody knew this.
You just ask anyone.
Samaritans are immoral, unprincipled, opportunistic, mercenary, rapacious and violent. You would never trust a Samaritan.
If you had been robbed and wounded, lying by the side of the road, and along came a Samaritan, you better start saying your prayers.
That was the expectation about Samaritans.

But Jesus moves the story along.
Look what happens.
"When the Samaritan saw him, he was moved with pity, and went to him and dressed his wounds, after he had poured oil and wine on them.
Then he put him on his own animal and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
The next day he came back and paid the innkeeper two denarii, and said, 'I'll be back here the next time I am in town just in case there are anymore expenses for taking care of this man.'"

There it is.

For his listeners Jesus is redefining the word neighbor.
They knew they were to love their neighbor.
And they knew who their neighbors were:
those who lived nearby,
those they saw in the temple,
those who came to their family celebrations,
theirs friends,
their family.
But Jesus said that’s not enough.

Jesus said that anyone who showed mercy to another was a neighbor –
it didn’t matter where he lived,
it didn’t matter who his folks were,
it didn’t matter what he believed,
it didn’t matter what his background was,
it didn’t matter what his history had been –
if he responds with mercy to one in need, he is a neighbor.

(Of course Luke comes back to this theme in the 25th chapter with his parable of sheep and the goats).

Jesus redefines what neighbor means.

I have thought of this parable many many times over the past few years as I have looked for meaning in what was happening here at this church.

I have concluded that for far too long now, we Christians have not been doing church very well.
For far too long the only we know of doing church is by neighborhood.
A church is located in a particular place and the folks that live around it are neighbors –
sometimes we call it a parish, or a kirk.
But churches are defined by and judged by how well they minister to their neighbors in the neighborhood.

Particularly, I think we are blessed by those who live near by so they can walk to church –
there are some –
some are older and some are younger with families.
And there are some who live a little further away so they have to drive – but still close enough to be at the fringes of a traditional definition of neighborhood.

But then, there are others – usually nearly half of those in the room – who drive many miles – past many many other churches – to worship here and be a part of our ministry.

The question is a good one:
who are our neighbors?
And what happened to our neighborhood.

This is the question Jesus took on in this parable and concluded that a neighbor was one who acted on his or her faith –
who showed mercy to another .
And as we have demonstrated here,
our neighborhood is a gathering of those who believe that their faith informs their lives and try to live as though it mattered.

It has become common practice for many school districts to define certain schools as “magnate” schools – schools that serve a particular purpose rather than a particular residential neighborhood.

With no planning or forethought, our church has become a magnate church in a way.
And I can’t help but think that in a way,
any future vision for what this church could be in the years to come would have to embrace this kind of thinking and be purposeful in developing ways for that to happen more often.

And the more I learn about what is happening
on-line with facebook and twitter and the internet,
and how the so-called social networks influence and encourage and abet people and the spread of ideas and actions,
we are called to once again redefine our idea of neighbor and neighborhood.

And whatever dream and vision we put together will have to embrace this new reality –
and a new definition of neighbor and neighborhood.

Right now this very day this church means many things to many folks.
But it seems to be every one of us sees it as place we can come to express our alignment with the Lord’s work –
to express our allegiance to the Lord –
and to work out ways to express our faith by the way we life.
First and foremost our church is a fellowship of followers of Christ.

I believe the hymn is right on:
who is my neighbor?
Where is my neighborhood?
Were there is caring,
where there is sharing,
where there is welcome. . .

For as we are told later by Luke:
where these things take place,
where caring and sharing and welcoming happen,
like a good neighbor, Jesus is there.

'Love your neighbor as you love yourself,"
we affirm.
When Jesus asks who is your neighbor?
Remember the answer:
"The one who showed mercy."


Remember to pray for your church in the days ahead.

Amen.

This sermon was a part of the worship service of the congregation of Christ Presbyterian Church, in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, February 26, 2011.