In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
God is no respecter of persons. He does not choose to love
some and hate others. He does not have one set of expectations for kings and a
different set of expectations for beggars which will determine their salvation.
At the same time, God knows each of you by name. God knows
each of you to be an individual with unique needs. Last week, we heard of a
miraculous healing in which Christ put His fingers in a man’s ears, spat,
touched the man’s tongue, looked toward heaven, groaned, and finally said, “Be
opened.”[1]
No other miracles are recorded as being attended with such liturgical
specificity. Each healing miracle seems to be unique. There could be many
reasons, but at least one reason is because each ailing person is unique. One
deaf man is not identical to another.
“Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I
tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and
have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it.”[2]
The disciples are not blessed because they are humbler than the prophets. They
are not blessed because they are poorer than the kings. They are not even
blessed because they were in the right place at the right time.
The disciples are blessed because they hear and see the very
Word of God in flesh. They are uniquely blessed because they behold the One
True God in whom all other wants and desires are fulfilled. They are blessed
because they receive the teachings of Christ directly into their ears and these
teachings change who they are.
In the parable of the Good Samaritan, we see that God is no
respecter of persons. Sin and temptation beset the man going down from
Jerusalem to Jericho and leave him half dead, that is, spiritually dead. He
only lives in his flesh but his soul is given over to death. The priest and the
Levite can only reveal the wounds of the man. This is the primary use of God’s
Law: to reveal sin. They pass by on the other side as they cannot save the
man’s soul.
It is only the Samaritan, the one who comes from a foreign
place but has joined Himself to Man, that can save the man’s soul. He sooths
the man’s soul with the oil of the Holy Gospel and purges the remaining sin
with the antiseptic sting of the wine of the cross the man must bear. Jesus
carries the man’s burden upon His own back as He brings him into the church,
where he will be cared for by the servant, the under shepherd, of the
Samaritan. The two coins are that by which the Church cares for the souls of
man: the Word of God and the Sacraments. The Samaritan then promises to return and
clear away any remnants of debt the man has incurred, bearing him at that time to
eternal rest.
The Samaritan cared nothing for the history of the man on
the side of the road. He cared nothing for the wealth or poverty of the man. He
was no respecter of the type of person he might be, but the Samaritan cared
deeply for the individual who was placed before Him.
This is the exhortation given to the young theologian. “Go
and do likewise,” that is, “Go and be no respecter of persons, but care deeply
for the individual placed before you.” The answer to the question, “Who is my
neighbor?” is not “Everyone,” but rather, “He who has been placed before you.”
Jesus Christ is the Good Samaritan. He is the perfect
Samaritan. It is He who has perfectly born your sin to the cross and died on
your behalf. He died for the great and the small. He died for the weak and the
strong. He died for the rich and the poor. He died for you.
You, beloved Christians, are called to go and do likewise.
You are called to be holy as your Father is holy. You are called not to be a
respecter of persons but to show genuine love for your neighbor, the one who
has been placed before you.
Let us first begin in the Church. The Word of God has come
for all men. No matter how someone might look, this Church exists for the
salvation of man. We exist to bring the Light of Christ to individuals. That
means that when someone comes through those doors, it doesn’t matter what they
look like, they are to be treated the same as anyone who attends weekly and
gives abundantly. Should they be dirty from having slept behind a dumpster,
Jesus is for them. Should they drive a new, fully loaded pickup, Jesus is for
them. If Jesus is for them, then Mount Calvary is for them. We are not a
respecter of persons because God is not a respecter of persons.
It is neither Jesus nor His disciples who treat the sick,
homeless, or demoniac as though they are dangerous or untouchable. Even when
Jesus’ disciples do act this way, He rebukes them.
On the other hand, God nowhere commands His people to be
foolish. We ought not cast pearls before swine or pretend the road between
Jericho and Jerusalem is paved with roses. Yet caution is not the same as
suspicion. Caution means being aware of your surroundings. Suspicion means
assuming the worst-case scenario, something explicitly forbidden by the eighth
commandment: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. What does
this mean? We should fear and love God that we may not deceitfully belie,
betray, slander, nor defame our neighbor, but defend him, speak well of him,
and put the best construction on everything.”[3]
So, when someone comes to visit the church, do not treat him as a suspect. Do not stand 3 or 4 deep at the door, pointing and discussing the visitor. Likewise, do not sneak sideways glances to discern her mental state. This person has been placed before you just as the man in the ditch was placed before the Samaritan. Go and sit with him. Such a visitor is likely confused about how to follow the service. Do something about it. The Samaritan did not just throw money at a situation (though He did use His money to assist), but He did something for the man before Him.
If you are concerned about the safety of those around you based
on the visitor’s actions, you should also go and sit with him. Engaging the
individual presents you with far more opportunities to diffuse a situation
without escalating to violence than standing afar off. Jesus died even for this
person, who intends violence. Be no respecter of persons but engage the
individual.
What is true here in the church is true also in your daily
lives. Everyone in the whole world is not your neighbor, but everyone in the
whole world has the potential to be your neighbor. Your neighbor is the one who
is placed in front of you. This is first your family. You have a responsibility
to your family that goes beyond making sure there is food on the table.
Scripture says that we are all born half dead, that is spiritually dead, and
must be made alive through the Word and Sacraments. You are given to foster
that faith within your family.
Yes, clothing and shoes, meat and drink, house and home,
fields, cattle, and all other goods are blessed gifts of God. Yes, these must
be provided for. But these are never the primary concern of the Christian. The
primary concern of the Christian concerns the soul. More than a full belly, the
Christian mother desires her child have a love of Truth, the Word of God. More
than a high-yield retirement plan, the Christian father desires his son to have
the harvest of the fruits of the Spirit.
Beyond the family, it becomes difficult for a preacher to
address. Why? Because you are individuals. The neighbors God has placed on your
road are individuals. It is impossible for the preacher to address every
situation in which you will find yourselves. You have the Scriptures. You have
the Holy Spirit. You have the sanctified wisdom of the Christian to guide you
in your ways.
If it is frustrating that the Pastor cannot tell you what to
do in every situation, it is either because you want an answer to all things so
that you don’t have to think or because you haven’t read the Scriptures,
especially the Wisdom literature such as Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Psalms.
Or possibly, it is because you wish that every person you encountered was the
same, that human interaction could follow a prescribed set of rules, drawn in
your favor, so that you would not have to engage the person before you. That is
not human interaction. That is the internet.
No one is the Good Samaritan in the way that our Lord, Jesus
Christ, is. He is the Good Samaritan who dragged your sinful body out of the
ditch and has given you rest. You cannot be perfect in this lifetime, but you
have been called to make a beginning. You have been called to love your
neighbor, whomever has been placed in your path. God is not a respecter of persons.
God loves individuals. Beloved child of God, redeemed by the blood of Jesus, go
and do likewise.
In + Jesus’ name. Amen.
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