Fifth Sunday After Pentecost (C) 2019

+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.

Text: Luke 10:25-26
Theme: Words and Deeds



Dear friends in Christ Jesus,

Words are always vulnerable. But Christ, the Word-become-flesh, the immortal, immutable God, has an incontestable existence. Nothing can be said so clearly that it cannot be misrepresented by those who doubt or disagree with the message it carries. However, things can be, and have been, and will be done that are irrefutable and can never be proven false. Faith now bridges the gap between the assertions of God and the undeniability of their truthfulness. Even after seeing the risen Jesus some people doubted the resurrection. In heaven all such suspicion will cease.

The words Jesus uses today are in the form of a well-known and vivid parable. The worst possible use of the parable of the good Samaritan is to understand it only as a spiritual moralism. That would be a misrepresentation, even if it was well-intentioned. The expert who queries Jesus is interested in eternal life. What could be more important? Can you think of a better question to ask Jesus than how to attain eternal life? Jesus, as He often does, answers the man’s question with another question and directs him back to loving God and loving one’s neighbour. But the man wants to justify himself and that’s when the parable ensues.

Now, to be clear, the Bible everywhere supports and teaches proper morality. True faith in God is evidenced by obedience to God’s will. God knows which behaviours will benefit us and which ones will harm us. The parable illustrates that truth. But the obedience of faith is not the cause of salvation. The gates of heaven are not thrown open because anyone has, or can, or ever will, truly love God and the neighbour above all things. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”1 Yet, Christ has done precisely what we are not able to do: He has fulfilled God’s will perfectly. Just as the victimized man was left for dead, so too, that would be our fate had Christ not intervened.

Dear friends, both the recognition of personal guilt- that is, failure to love God to the point of meriting eternal condemnation- and the need for undeserved grace, are never going to be palatable to the unbelieving world. The Holy Spirit can speak into such darkness and the rest of us are powerless. But that doesn’t mean we’re useless. God has purposed us for this task.

Last week we considered the following questions: Will the church adjust to being the people of God in a society that no longer shares many of its most fundamental beliefs, yet desperately needs the light of truth shining into its darkness, and the message of peace to calm its chaos? Or, will the church re-image itself to be so similar to culture that it disavows its unique identity? Will it concede the teachings of Scripture one by one until it finds itself on the sinking sand of humanistic philosophy? Will the church survive the tsunami which is already causing many within her to run for the ‘safety of society’s political correctness’?

The answer, existentially, is yes! The gates of hell will not prevail against Christ’s church. But the Christian church may not be the church as we know it today. The Bible is replete with warnings against hypocrisy. Congregations, parishes, and even entire denominations may cease to exist. Some Christian leaders believe that conceding the biblical view on a few contentious issues- think human sexuality, the sanctity of human life, and response to changes in the biosphere- will lead to a mutual truce with those in society who hold an entirely different worldview. But is this hope optimistically naïve? And should the church be looking for a truce anyway?

Christians are called to confess the truth regardless of the attitudes of the age. The Scripture says, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness…what agreement is there between the temple of God and idols.”2 Certainly we’ll need to understand better the philosophies and motivations that drive those who hold a secular worldview. The fundamental issue is the sovereignty of God in a society that is pursuing the deification of human wisdom and authority. Christ calls us to “be wise as serpents, and innocent as doves.”3 He tells us to have the faith of a child4. But He never says to be childish or naïve. We are to be lifelong students of the Word. And the Spirit teaches us to be gracious beyond what might seem reasonable, leaving the outcome to God.

The ‘good Samaritan’ gave the innkeeper the equivalent of two day’s wages and promised more. That is considerable generosity. How many of us would offer two hour’s wages on the spot, let alone two days? The generosity is highlighted further by the cultural and contextual expectations. Jewish-Samaritan interactions weren’t exactly cordial. The man who had been victimized was passed by, by both a priest and a Levite. Jesus wishes to illustrate the hypocrisy of their religious convictions. Surely, they would be the ones most likely to come to the aid of someone in need? Surprisingly it’s someone from the least likely category of people who offers help.

Dear friends, if we’re not supporting the maintenance and extension of God’s kingdom, what are we doing? What kind of legacies and reputations are we trying to achieve? Well, you say, we’re just struggling to get through life. We’re trying to make ends meet. We’re trying to survive on our pensions. We’re trying to manage our schedules and negotiate our traumas. We’re dealing with health issues and broken families. Yes, indeed! But it’s not one or the other. The joys and challenges in life can either be experienced with God or without Him. His absence may appear to make little difference in the moment, but the eternal difference is immeasurable. Eternity without God is catastrophic.


We all make decisions based on priorities. The Good Samaritan made a choice as he walked along the road between Jerusalem and Jericho. He probably didn’t leave home planning to spend two days’ wages on a total stranger. He set out to accomplish his plans for the day, the same as the priest and the Levite. God challenged the priorities of all three men. The least likely one (from a Jewish perspective) did the godly thing.

The good Samaritan is not a figure that’s meant to make us feel guilty for not being more generous. Jesus is the Good Samaritan par excellence. He intervened in our broken and dying world. He wasn’t just passing by either. He purposely descended from the magnificence of heaven to dwell with sinners on earth. We should understand ourselves as the one needing rescue. We’re unable to redeem ourselves. The wound of sin is fatal for those lacking the intervention of proper help. Only the Divine Physician will ultimately do. Only the incarnate Son of God can cure the wounds of sin. His forgiveness is our cleansing wine. His Spirit is our anointing oil.

Jesus, our ‘good Samaritan’ walked the road to Calvary obediently surrendering His life by crucifixion for our sins. Then He walked right over sin, death, and Satan, crushing their power. He is resurrected and remains incorruptible. You are His baptized. When you are in need He never passes by on the other side of the road. He brings you to His ‘inn’, His “one holy Christian and apostolic Church.”5 There He feeds you with His sacred food and supports you with fellow travelers on the road. He promises never to desert you. Words are always susceptible to distortion. But do not fear. You are in the company of Him who has “the words of eternal life.”6 They’re not empty words. They’re death-defying words. Thanks be to God! Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +

Fifth Sunday After Pentecost
14 July 2019
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt

1 Romans 3:23 2 2 Corinthians 6:14-16
3 Matthew 10:16 4 See Matthew 18:3
5 The Nicene Creed 6 John 6:68