Hello my friends!

Today's newsletter will be a bit different. I wanted to share my sermon with you that I preached from last Sunday on the "Good Samaritan." It was both challenging and inspiring to me as I prepared to preach this passage. I found myself pondering how I truly define the category of "neighbor." I hope you'll feel the same as you read or watch my sermon.

Before we get to that though, I wanted to share some incredibly insightful podcast episodes I heard this week! All on the topic of "who is my neighbor."

THINGS THAT HAVE ME THINKING:

-In this episode of "Hidden Brain," which is one of my favorite podcasts by the way, Harvard Psychologist Mina Cikara talks about what happens when our mindset shifts from “you and me” to “us and them.” She shares some profound ways that becoming a part of a group shapes our thoughts, feelings and behaviors. It really is a must listen.

-This episode from "This American Life" is called the "Possum Experiment." It powerfully explores a very basic question about people: Are most of us bad or good? It starts off very creatively with a "possum experiment" and then shares some profound stories about people having their minds changed by the kindness of strangers.

-Lastly, the most recent episode of "Fresh Air" brilliantly explores the connection between Hungry's autocracy and how it might give us a picture of America's future. To me, it gives a big picture of why "loving our neighbor as ourselves" really does matter. Because who we actually define as our neighbor as a society makes the difference between showing compassion and justice to all people or marginalizing those who we don't see as "neighbor."

Alright, on with the newsletter!

Note: If you are more of a "video" person, you can watch my sermon by clicking here. My mic doesn't get turned on until about 3 minutes in, but you don't miss anything. I have also adapted it in written form for my newsletter below!

SCRIPTURE READING

Luke 10:25-37 (CEB)

25 A legal expert stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to gain eternal life?”

26 Jesus replied, “What is written in the Law? How do you interpret it?”

27 He responded, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.”

28 Jesus said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.”

29 But the legal expert wanted to prove that he was right, so he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30 Jesus replied, “A man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. He encountered thieves, who stripped him naked, beat him up, and left him near death. 31 Now it just so happened that a priest was also going down the same road. When he saw the injured man, he crossed over to the other side of the road and went on his way. 32 Likewise, a Levite came by that spot, saw the injured man, and crossed over to the other side of the road and went on his way. 33 A Samaritan, who was on a journey, came to where the man was. But when he saw him, he was moved with compassion. 34 The Samaritan went to him and bandaged his wounds, tending them with oil and wine. Then he placed the wounded man on his own donkey, took him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day, he took two full days’ worth of wages and gave them to the innkeeper. He said, ‘Take care of him, and when I return, I will pay you back for any additional costs.’ 36 What do you think? Which one of these three was a neighbor to the man who encountered thieves?”

37 Then the legal expert said, “The one who demonstrated mercy toward him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

AND WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?

This is one of if not the most famous parables from Jesus. Often called, “The Good Samaritan.”

I think it’s so well known because it has to do with all the important questions in life:

“What must I do to live forever?”

“How are we to interpret God’s law?”

“Who is my neighbor?”

As we just read, the expert in the law asked Jesus, “what must I do to gain eternal life?”

But Luke tells us he was doing this to test Jesus.

We all know what it feels like to be asked bated questions, right? When it sounds like a genuine question, but it has an ulterior motive behind it?

Especially in the age of social media, we know what it feels like when someone hiding behind a screen is trying to bait you and trip you up with their question(s) to try to make you look like a fool in front of all who are watching.

There’s an old saying that is often attributed to Mark Twain that says, “Never argue with a fool in public; onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.”

I think that’s a great rule for social media.

This is exactly what the legal expert was trying to do to Jesus. He was trying to make Jesus look like a fool in front of all who were standing there.

Yet, I love how Jesus responds, not with hostility or argumentatively, but genuine questions.

Jesus said, “What is written in the Law? How do you interpret it?”

You can almost hear what is being said between the lines. “[Well, you are a legal expert], what is written in the law? How do you [as a legal expert] interpret it?”

What is interesting is that the legal expert doesn’t respond with his interpretation. Rather, he just quotes the law word for word.

He said: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.”

Then Jesus responded, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.”

That could have been the end of it! A nice short conversation and everyone could have gone off to lunch. But then ego showed up.

Luke tells us that “because the legal expert wanted to prove that he was right, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Again, I love how Jesus responds to questions like these.

Almost every one of Christ’s parables begins by someone asking him a question. A question they think has an easy “either/or”, “cut-and-dry,” “yes or no” answer.

And Jesus responds to all of them by saying something like, “Well, a man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.”

I’m actually taking that as parenting advice from Jesus.

When my son grows up and starts asking me questions, I am going to respond like Jesus!

Son: “Hey dad, can we go get ice cream?”

Me: “Well son, a man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho to get ice cream.”

I’m sure he won’t get frustrated by that at all!

I think Christ’s way of responding to questions with a parable is always inviting the one who asked the question to ponder something deeper.

So today, I want to focus on that one question the legal expert asked Jesus, the one that made Jesus respond with the parable of the good Samaritan in the first place: “And who is my neighbor?”

You see, with this question, the legal expert is trying to limit the category of “neighbor.”

Like, “Ahh, I only need to love THESE people, only THESE people are my neighbor but no one else.”

It makes sense if you’re only trying to follow the letter of the law rather than the spirit of the law.

Making the term “neighbor” apply to only a small circle of people makes the command to love them much easier to follow.

Especially if they look, act, and think exactly as he does.

But Jesus turns this narrow and petty logic on its head.

Jesus begins to tell a parable about a man who was beaten and left for dead.

Then he said that a Samaritan, of all people, was the only one who stopped to help him.

This was an intentional choice by Jesus to use a Samaritan. It was meant to make everyone uncomfortable.

You see, Samaritans were religious and ethnic relatives of Israelites.

They believed in the same God, but they worshiped that God very differently from Israel.

While Israelites worshiped God in the temple in Jerusalem, Samaritans worshiped God on Mount Gerizim.

This and many other reasons made Israelites see Samaritans as “unclean” and “unholy.”

Samaritans felt similarly about Israelites.

A friend of mine used to always make the joke about other denominations, “we should never get upset about people worshiping God differently. They can worship God their way and we can worship God, God’s way!”

It gets me every time!

That is a pretty accurate way of describing how Samaritans and Israelites felt about each other.

Samaritans weren’t gentiles, but they weren’t really seen as part of the “chosen people” by Israel either.

Which is worse for good religious people like us Christians, right?

Many of us don’t really get upset at unbelievers.

What really makes us upset is a believer who claims to believe the same things we do, yet interprets everything the exact opposite way from us! Right?

So, I can’t help but think who Jesus would use as his central character if he told us this parable today.

Who would be our “Samaritan?”

I know that for my church growing up, Jesus would have used an LGBT Christian or a Muslim American as the one who showed God’s compassion and helped the injured man.

My church growing up would have refused to see these figures as a “neighbor” let alone being capable of compassion or mercy.

They refused to see them through the love of Christ. They still refuse to see them through Christ’s love.

Just a side note, if you feel hopeless that people can’t or won’t ever change from the way they are right now, I want you to look at my story as a source of hope.

I was raised evangelical, homeschooled k-12 in rural Nampa Idaho. My worldview was so small and filled with so much fear towards what I didn’t understand.

I saw my Christianity as giving me the duty to correct and control others rather than to love others.

I thought Cathedral of the Rockies, the church I am pastoring at now, was filled with heretics!

Look at me now!

This Idaho white boy has changed so much! But it wasn’t because of judgment or hate.

I was changed by the love, compassion, and mercy of others. And parents who continued to encourage me to think deeply about things.

My category of “neighbor” was expanded because of love.

Okay, back to the sermon.

Jesus wouldn’t leave progressive Christians alone either. He would challenge us and make us uncomfortable too.

Perhaps for those of us on the more progressive side of things, Jesus would use a bearded Idaho boy who looks like me, wearing a “don’t tread on me” t-shirt, or maybe even a red hat.

The reality is, Jesus is always challenging our narrow definitions of who our neighbor is. Who we have simply written off as “unclean” and “unholy.”

Then, just when we think Jesus has challenged us enough, he goes on and makes the parable worse!

Not only did he use a Samaritan as the hero, but he used a priest and levite as the bad guys.

These patriotic and religious heroes were the ones who refused to stop and offer help.

Jesus shows a Samaritan as having more more civic duty, righteousness, and honor than the most honored figures in Israel.

So, picture the person you most admire, the person you most respect, caught on security cameras walking on the other side of the road, refusing to show compassion to a man left for dead!

Then imagine your shock while the one you thought wasn’t your neighbor at all, who in your mind was incapable of showing God’s love, stops to help the injured man and displays deep compassion for him.

This is a deeply challenging and radical parable.

Jesus then details the Samaritan’s acts of compassion for the injured man: he tended his wounds, brought him to an inn, and payed for both his present and future lodging and healthcare (10:34-35). 

These are the tangible actions, authentic signs of what neighbors do for others. That is what a “good neighbor” looks like.

Jesus ends the conversation by flipping the entire scenario on its head.

The expert of the law began by asking in pride “And who is my neighbor?”

Jesus ends the parable by asking in humility, “which one of these three fulfilled the role of neighbor?”

The legal expert said, “the one who showed compassion.”

Jesus said, “go and do likewise.”

Notice how the legal expert couldn’t even bring himself to say the word “Samaritan?” He said instead, “the one who showed compassion.”

That’s like Jonah, after God showed mercy on the Ninevites, angrily saying “I knew you would be a merciful and compassionate God, very patient, full of faithful love, and not willing to destroy!” Jonah 4:2

Then God said to him, “Is your anger a good thing?” Or my translation, “you mad bro?” Jonah 4:4.

You see, when we get caught up in asking, “well, who is my neighbor? Who is worthy of my love and compassion? Who is in and who is out?”

We miss the call of Christ that WE ourselves are to be neighbors to others.

We are the ones who are called to show compassion, tend to the wounded, bring healing, meet needs, and “love our neighbor as ourselves.”

My friends, what ways are we still asking ourselves “well, who is my neighbor?” Instead of asking, “how can I be a good neighbor to others?”

Our culture right now has far too many people, especially those with a lot of money and power, asking “who is my neighbor? Who is deserving of compassion, healing, justice and care?”

Our culture needs a revolution of compassion, brought by people who care more about being a good neighbor to others. A people who deeply believe that all people are equally deserving of love, compassion, and mercy. Where “all means all” when we say “liberty and justice for all.”

So, who do you see being a good neighbor to others right now in our world?

Jesus says, we must “go and do likewise.”

I look forward to hearing from you and as always, thanks for being here!

-Ben