Emmaus Notes The Big Read Luke 10:25-42 The Good Samaritan and Mary and Martha

Transcription

1 Emmaus Notes The Big Read Luke 10:25-42 The Good Samaritan and Mary and Martha Background Jesus, having thoroughly ministered in the Galilean region, through his pattern of teaching, healing, and discipleship. Jesus begins the first of several prophesies of the Passion (9:22; 9:44; 12:50; 18:31-33) then we re given the elusive story of his transfiguration, more healing, another prophesy and heated discussion among the disciples as to their role. Then, Luke makes a pivotal point in the gospel. Jesus, sets his face toward Jerusalem. He is rejected; a reminder that Jesus journey to the cross is one of rejection. Even so, Jesus is victorious over the rejection; a sign for us that trials are overcome. The rejection harkens back to the beginning of Jesus ministry (4:28-29) Jesus is rejected after teaching in the synagogue of his home town, Nazareth. Immediately, Jesus instructs his followers on the hardships of discipleship and appoints the 72, sending them out to serve. Only in Luke s gospel do we have the commissioning of 70 or 72, (both signifying the nations of Israel noted in Genesis 10) a sign that discipleship increases, grows and move along. Jesus travel account continues as Jesus instructs and enters into a question and answer debate with a church official. The Test. In his teaching, Jesus offers up prayers of thanksgiving to God for hiding wisdom from the wise. Now, it is a learned person who comes forward with questions to test Jesus. A lawyer is a front man for the scribes and priest in the temple. There is no separation of church and state in Jesus time. So, lawyers are well versed in scripture as it is from scripture where the Law comes. Lawyers are sent out from the temple to reinforce the Law of God. Having just prophesied his suffering, death and resurrection, Jesus has made some statements about who will see and hear the words of God in Jesus Christ. In Mark and Matthew s gospel the lawyer asks which is the greatest of commandment. In Luke s gospel, the lawyer hostile toward this new authority in the Law, testing Jesus, asks, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Here begins the pronouncement story = a simple story with a basic, straight forward message, told by Jesus so that we may learn more about Jesus, and the people surrounding Jesus, and be left with one significant, memorable message. 1

2 Ask ourselves: Why does Luke s writer want us to hear this pronouncement story at this time in Jesus journey to Jerusalem? What is the basic message Jesus wants us to learn in the pronouncement story of The Good Samaritan? The story takes on the form of a school debate, in which the answered is praised at the end, Jesus first answer is really a counter-question and his final comment merely confirms the lawyer s response (Fitzmyer, Joseph, The Gospel According to Luke X-XXIV). Asking the question, Jesus responds with a question, affirming the lawyer s strengths and revealing to the reader Jesus deep humility. The lawyer responds with two commands of Judaic Law. First, from the Shema, Deut 6:4-9, you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength. The second, from the Holiness Code of Leviticus 19:18 to love our neighbor as yourself. In other words, the norm for each disciple, each follower of Christ, is love; love God, love yourself as God loves you and love your neighbor as you love yourself. We re reminded that Jesus carries the love of neighbor to those even hated, from his message on the sermon on the plan, to love our enemies (6:27-35). With this double love command, Jesus intends for the Law to apply not just to the faithful chosen Jews, but to the Gentiles, to all. The lawyer is now humbled. Jesus calls us to break boundaries. Judaism has established social moirés, laws for the treatment of Gentile, Samaritans, women, and the power and privilege of Priests and Levites. Now the boundaries of religious law are being challenged and Jesus leads the lawyer to the correct answer. What does it mean to love our neighbor? (Look at our Baptismal Covenant, where we are called to seek and serve Christ in all people, loving our neighbor as yourself). The Story of the Good Samaritan. The story is unique to Luke, indicating that it probably comes from the writer s own source, L. Jesus teaches a parable of mercy, one character trait of Jesus Luke emphasizes. Unlike other parables, this story does not provide an analogy so much as it portrays a model for what is a right way to live. The story has been given the title of the Good Samaritan. But, the word good appears no where in the story. Good, in the Greek, translates as the word, help, or righteous, with an emphasis more on what is right than what is judging. The setting is the crooked, unprotected, dangerous road that descends 3,300 feet in 17 miles with narrow passes and terrain easy enough for robbers and bandits to hide, from Jerusalem to Jericho. 2

3 Who are you in the story? We don t know much about the victim accept that its questionable how practical and responsible he is. Travelers know the road is dangerous, and generally travel in caravans, or at least in pairs. And, it s just known that traveling the road alone, with a load, goods or valuables, is fool hearty. He s looking for trouble. By chance, it just happened that another traveler comes along, a priest, who also appears to be on his own. Now, the priest is honorable, and obedient to Judaic Law. Seeing the man half dead, he passes to the other side of the road. Honoring the Levitical Code, Anyone who touches the corpse of anyone whatever will be unclean for seven days, Number 19:11, the priest wants to do the right thing. Should the priest touch the apparently dead man, he will lose his place of leadership and authority in the temple worship. Next, also apparently alone, the Levite, appears to draw closer to the wounded man. Levites are descendants of the patriarch Jacob. Levi is the third born son of Jacob and his wife Leah, who came to him through the trickery of his uncle, Laban. Levites were entrusted with the details of serving in the Temple. Following the fall of Jerusalem in 587 B.C.E., and the exile of the Israelites to Babylon, and the return to Jerusalem about 50 years later, only a few Levites returned. Those who did return enjoyed an elevated status receiving priestly tithes. Apparently, remembering his prominent role and his code of ethics, safety first, the Levite passed to the other side as well. Then, a Samaritan comes upon the injured man. Jews and Samaritans hate one another. Samaritans are considered unclean by the Jews. They re descended from mixed marriages of the Assyrians, in the northern kingdom. They didn t believe, as the Jews did, that home for God was in temple in Jerusalem. So, they didn t support rebuilding of the temple. In fact, they believe God s home was at Mt. Gerizim and chose to build the temple there. (Ezra 4:2-5; Nehemiah 2:19). The Samaritan, regardless of his status, has pity on the injured man. Showing compassion, immediately, he tends to the man, bandaging his wounds, pouring olive oil on to soften the injury and wine as an antiseptic to kill the threat of infection. The Samaritan goes beyond the call of duty gets him upon his animal and leads him to the inn. It appears he Samaritan is known by the innkeeper as it seems he and his guest are welcomed. The Samaritan needs to carry on the next day. He leaves the injured man with the equivalent of two days wages (two denari) with the promise to cover any additional expenses. He is generous in his care and compassion, giving expecting nothing in return. 3

4 The question. Jesus brings the story to a close and return the question back to the lawyer, this time as a multiple choice question, which of these three, do you think, proved himself a neighbor to the man? The lawyer, much to his chagrin, can t even conjure up the word, Samaritan, thinking that someone so hated could, in fact, be the truest example of our neighbor. Instead, his response is, the one who showed pity toward him. Right away were give the criteria for neighbor = one who shows compassion. Who is your neighbor? When have you been neighborly (shown compassion) to those you dislike? When have you been the recipient of compassion by those you dislike? The story begins with the lawyer asking how to have everlasting life and concludes with a story of good neighborliness. At the initial ask, Jesus directs the lawyer to remember the dual command and ends with the pronouncement, do this and life is yours. At the second round, Jesus ends with no promise. Instead, the command is go and do the same yourself. Why does Jesus end the debate without the promise of everlasting life? Neighborliness is an action: to show God s love of others; and in so doing, we are heirs of the kingdom and reward is not anticipated. What does Jesus teach us about the character of a neighbor? Jesus continues on in his journey toward Jerusalem and he comes to the home in Bethany, of close friends, sisters, Martha and Mary. Martha and Mary As we read along in chapter 10, we want to read deeper into how and why the Lukan writer links main stories together: the mission of the 72, the parable of the Good Samaritan and Martha and Mary. The journey motif is prevalent, reminding us of what to do when we travel on Jesus mission to love God and love our neighbor, the message of the Good Samaritan. In the Good Samaritan, the contrast lies between the Samaritan and the priest and Levite. Martha, the perfect hostess, and Mary, the perfect disciple, are in contrast to each other in this story. The link also serves to complement the dual command. The Good Samaritan as an example of loving our neighbor and Mary, and Martha as examples of loving God. All strive to live it out the dual command the best way possible. Again, the story is only in Luke, implying that its source is L We learn more about Martha and Mary in John s gospel. Their home is in the suburbs of Jerusalem, Bethany, just miles away. We know from the earlier story, 4

5 that Jesus is still too far to have reached Bethany. But, the Lukan writer wants us to read these stories in succession. Mary and Martha are the sisters of brother Lazarus, whom Jesus raises from the dead in John 11. Mary may well be the same Mary who anointed Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. Martha s name means, lady mistress, the feminine form of the Aramaic, lord. Again, the story takes the form of a pronouncement story. We learn about Jesus, the people who surround him and one lesson to take away. Jesus is welcomed into the home of Martha and Mary as an example of the mission of the 72 state in 10:8 they make you welcome, eat what is put before you. There s a complication. Mary is not serving. Instead, welcome for Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus as a faithful disciple, ready to learn. Martha is distracted, with the riches and cares and pleasures of life. Martha, would love to sit at the feet of Jesus and soak up his words, but is drawn away with the responsibility of honoring the code of hospitality: to welcome all those into your home as if they were the most cherished guest. Hospitality in Jesus time meant, all that you have is available to your guest. What s yours is theirs. They have full ownership to all you own. Martha is fulfilling the role of society, but, as the seed that is sown among the thorns (8:7), the Word is choked out and Martha s purpose becomes a burden rather than a delight. Martha wants Jesus to fix the scene. The problem is not that Mary is sitting and Martha is serving. The problem is Mary and Jesus are crossing boundaries and Martha doesn t know quite what to do with the idea. Scholar, N.T. Wright states that Mary is behaving like a man in a culture where houses are divided into male spaces and female spaces. There is a public room where men gather. There is the kitchen and other rooms, not shared or seen by guests, known only to the women. Women did not settle in the public space with the men. And, scholarship and learning is left to the men, not to women. In Acts 22:3 the apostle Paul sits at the feet of the great teacher, Gamaliel. This is the posture of astute learning. If you re sitting at the feet of a great rabbi, you want to become a rabbi yourself; a role carved out only for men. What is your experience with roles being reversed, changed? Typical of Jesus, he gives us the answer we don t expect and it s always the right answer. Martha is reprimanded for letting what she thinks she needs to do get in the way of what Jesus wants her to do. Jesus loves both Mary and Martha, and invites them both to see into his heart; that loving is meeting the needs of others, not meeting the needs of others to get our needs met. We re not called to love with our agenda. We re called to love as Jesus loves us, that is the better part. 5

6 Martha needs only one thing, the better part. Martha s care have prevented her from unhindered devotion to the Lord (1 Cor. 7:32-35). When are some times we put what we think is the right thing to do before what Jesus tells us is the right thing to do? When has your loving had conditions on it? The story of the Good Samaritan and the story of Mary and Martha is a story of two ways, each necessary for the other in faithful discipleship. The great commandment to love God and love our neighbor is illustrated in the love by the Samaritan and the love Mary displays in her attentiveness. Interesting that Jesus breaks across social boundaries to teach us the true meaning of what it means to be a neighbor. A hated Samaritan stops to help a hated Jew and a woman enters into the domain of men to serve in the role of a male, as a student. Crossing the boundaries they make us uncomfortable in the boldness of their love. Perhaps it is that the true meaning of neighbor is means to love what is unlovable. What are social barriers are you willing to cross to plant seeds for kingdom living? Jesus tells the inquisitive lawyer to go and do. He gives praise to Mary for sitting and listening. Discipleship requires both action and contemplation. A life of following Jesus is radical. Kingdom living is counter cultural. All too often in our doing, we do what we want to do rather than what Jesus asks us to do. What Jesus asks us to do may require some significant discipline on our part. To follow the great commandment: to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves, means do, got, sit and stay. Not an easy balance. Perhaps that s why it is the Lukan writer takes us right into chapter 11 with Jesus teaching us to pray. Lord of all pots and pans and things. Since I ve no time to be A saint by doing lovely things, Or watching late with thee, Or dreaming in the dawnlight, Or storming heaven s gates, Make me a saint by getting meals And washing up the plates. 6

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