September 26th, 20

HE’S THE NEIGHBOR WE’VE BEEN WAITING FOR

Our readings are Haggai 1 -2 , Psalm 129, and Luke 10.  We are reading from the New Living Translation.

Blessed are the eyes that see what you have seen. I tell you, many prophets and kings longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it. (Lk10:23-24 NLT)

That’s what Jesus says to his disciples. What do you see in this story of the Samaritan?  Do you see yourself?  A religious leader came to Jesus and asked him,

Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life? (Lk 10:25 NLT)

He asked the question because he wanted to justify himself, we’re told.  Jesus responds with this story of the Samaritan. In the story Jesus is asking us, Who do you see?  We like to see ourselves as the ones who show mercy – the good Samaritan – the hero.  But Jesus wants us to see ourselves as the wounded man and God as the Samaritan. God has shown mercy when we were exposed, beat up and left half-dead along the road.  It is God who has showed mercy to us. God is the hero in this story, not us. Jesus is not telling us the story to teach us how to justify ourselves before God.  He’s telling the story to tell us what God is like.  God is the one who justifies us.  God is the one who is the hero.  The world and religion pass us by in the end.  But God sees us and cares for us.  He promises to return for us and restore us to life.  

Mary gets this.  Mary is sitting at his feet and listening to every word of this story, and she gets it.  Jesus is the Neighbor that we’ve been waiting for.  He’s the only Neighbor the world has ever known.  He’s the way in which we find ourselves justified before God – not by the work of our own hands or by being the hero in our own story, but by sitting at his feet and seeing that He has done for us, what we could not do for ourselves. He has shown mercy and care, soothing our wounds with his oil and wine.  He’s bandaged us, placed us on his own donkey and taken us to an inn where we could get rest and be cared for.  And he continues to care for us, even when we don’t see him there.  He’s left resources behind to help us be restored to life in Him.  

When you ask the question, ‘How do I inherit eternal life’?, who do you see as the hero of your story?  Is it you?  Or is it the one who is a better neighbor than you?  Is it Jesus?  He is the hero of the story.  

Rejoice, that when you were on the side of the road, wounded and in need of rescue, he found you.  Your Hero has come.

You are loved!