Our pastor preached a sermon today based on the Parable of the Good Samaritan. And if you have ever been exposed to a sermon relating to this passage, (since it is almost certainly the most commonly ‘preached’ parable of all time) you might understandably respond,
“So, what’s new and different about that?”
And, at this juncture, I would respond in kind,
“Well, ‘what’s new about that’ is Pastor K. developed the parable in an altogether different manner than heretofore.”
Allow me to copy and paste the relevant text from the New Testament Book of Luke.
“But the lawyer, wanting to justify himself, asked,
‘But who is my neighbor?’
And Jesus gave him the following response.
‘A man once went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. He fell into the hands of bandits who robbed him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him for dead
Later, a priest was traveling down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the other side of the road.
After this, a Levite also happened upon the badly injured man, and when he saw him, he too crossed to the other side of the road.
Finally, a Samaritan came to the place where the man was lying, and when he saw the poor man, his heart was touched. As a result, he went over to him and bandaged his injuries; first pouring oil and wine on his wounds. Then the stranger put him on his own mule, brought him to an inn, and did what he could for him.
As he was about to continue on his journey, he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the words,
Look after him, please. I will reimburse you if more is required, when I return.’”
“The Lord looked intently at the individual to whom he was speaking, and said,
‘Which of these three, then, was a neighbor to the injured man?’
‘The man who practiced empathy by his words and deeds,’ he replied.
And, with this, Jesus exclaimed,
‘Then go and do the same.’”
Luke 10:29-27 (McDonald Paraphrase)
Pt. 2
While our Lord chose to emphasize the lack of compassion and hypocritical spirituality among the religious rulers of His day, as I have previously inferred, this morning our pastor took an entirely different tact.
“A man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves who robbed him, and beat him, and left him for dead.”
Jerusalem was the site of the Temple, and the seat of Jewish worship. It was, and continues to be known as, “The City of David.” It is the capitol city of Israel. The Holy City. Subsequent to Jesus’ parable, it became the site of His crucifixion, atoning death, burial and resurrection from the dead. The heavenly city which God has promised his people will be given the moniker, “The New Jerusalem.”
The City of Jerusalem is situated at about 2800 feet above sea level; whereas, Jericho is situated at about 800 feet below sea level, a difference of 2,000 feet. Thus, the use of the two word phrase, “went down.”
When taken both as a practical and spiritual metaphor, the stranger in Christ’ parable made a calculated decision to journey from Jerusalem to Jericho; in spite of the common knowledge that vagabonds and thieves frequented the narrow highway. Thus, he surrendered the relative safety of Jerusalem for a road and destination with, at best, a troubled history.
Based on the Old Testament account, Jericho was inhabited by Canaanites, and when Joshua led the Hebrew people out of Egypt, it became necessary to wage war against these and other inhabitants of Canaan. Ultimately, as the result of a divine miracle, the walls of the City of Jericho fell down of their own accord, and only Rahab, who had befriended the spies, lived to tell the tale; whereas, thousands of her fellow citizens died in droves around her.
Pt. 3
Having provided the congregation the foregoing allusion, our pastor went on to develop the metaphor, (paraphrased),
“Too many believers risk their reputations, their marriages, the impact with which God has endowed them, the plan which the Creator dreamed for them before He made the worlds, and, at worst, their very lives as a result of the temptation, and their subsequent decision to ‘go down to Jericho.’ Mediocre Christians often ‘sell out’ for the sake of a proverbial bowl of porridge, and risk, as it were, their spiritual life and limb. As scripture admonishes us, ‘These things ought not to be.’”
In the movie, “Glory,” based on a real life story from the Civil War, the Union Colonel Shaw, and an escaped slave turned soldier sit on a river bank conversing about the ultimate outcome of the war. The Colonel asks Buford what he thinks should be done to win the day. The raw wisdom of hard experience spills out of the young Private’s mouth.
“I guess we’ll just have to ante up and kick in. Kick in…like men!”
I think the same can be said for a believer’s choice, (or lack thereof) to remain in that spiritual environment which might be characterized as “Jerusalem” versus that which is, ultimately, a purposeful decision to follow the dangerous road which leads down to Jericho.
(Mc)Donald's Daily Diary. Vol. 77. By William McDonald, PhD. Copyright pending.
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