Luke 10:25–37
Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” He answered, “You shall 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 your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.” But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Reflection
How do we inherit eternal life? Look at the law and see what it says. The one asking the question knew this answer before it was even asked. "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might." (Deuteronomy 6:5) and also (Leviticus 19:18) "You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD."
So the lawyer asking the question was silenced by Jesus' correct answer. So he tries to stump Jesus in another way and with another question about who is one's neighbor. Jesus gives a parable for the answer. A parable that really doesn't feed to the needs of the brain but more to the actions of the heart. It was necessary for the lawyer and us too, to be able to move the law from our brains to the actions of our hearts and hands. Actions formed, not so much out of knowledge of the law, but actions formed out of love from the heart.
With this parable comes our own conversion. It's one thing for us to hear God's Word spoken. It's one thing for us to read God's Word written. It's one thing for us to see the presence of God with us in the Sacraments. But, it's quite another thing for us to receive these wonderful gifts and fail to bear the fruit of God in our lives. As we receive God in Christ Jesus into our lives; do we bear the fruit with which God has granted us the capability to bear?
If we don't bear fruit, were we ever converted from our old self into something new? I think not. I think if we don't bear fruit, we have heard with our minds the Gospel but have never received with our hearts the love that God freely gives through Jesus. We don't really believe it enough to act upon the richness of what God has given to us.
In conversion we open our hearts and God's love is poured into our minds and our hearts. We don't act out in love as a duty to what God has done as much as we act out in love to God and our neighbor as a response to what God has done for us in Jesus. This action is the fruits that God just loves to see. This action of love is the one willing to touch the unclean and to love that neighbor regardless. This action is the love of God who came into this world to touch all of us unclean people and to die in sweat and blood and pain for us to have the eternal life that the lawyer asks of in this passage.
The love Jesus show us with his life, ministry, the healing, the pain and the suffering and the death and the resurrection; is the very love Jesus wants us to have and to give to God and to one another. A tall commandment, but one that God gives to all of us to live our lives to.
Do you have actions of love for the Father and for the neighbor? Let's hear the parable and live the love towards that eternal life given to the Samaritan, and bear fruit.
Prayer
Lord, I haven't always stopped for that person on the side of the road. Many times I have passed by. Many times I have not loved. Many times I have left my neighbor to die in pain. But you show a love much greater. You have shown a love to me that has forgiven me even though I myself deserve to die. Through your Son you came and lived and loved and died for me and for so many of us who have passed by. Forgive me of my sin. Renew me and convert my heart that I may live the love you wish for me to live. Open my heart to receive your Word this day that it may result in a conversion of my heart to actions of love for you and for my neighbors... today... tomorrow... and forever. --- Amen
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