We have forgotten we belong to each other

The Rev. Kathi Johnson

Lectionary 15, Year C – 10 July 2016

Text: Luke 10:25-37

Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Grand Prairie, Texas

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Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Amen.

It was Mother Teresa of Calcutta who said: “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten we belong to each other.” This quote has appeared in front of me again and again over the past few days – days that have contained more violent horror for us as a nation and for us in North Texas. The images of horror from the past week on the television and internet stand in stark contrast to these words of Mother Teresa’s – “…we belong to each other.”

I think that we have forgotten.

And in spite of what some may say, this is not a new thing. We as humans have never been very good at remembering that we belong to each other. If you don’t believe me, I invite you to go way back, close to the beginning, to the children of Adam and Eve: the brothers Cain and Abel. Or look at the lives of the patriarchs and matriarchs. Even Moses killed someone.

The stories of our religious heritage are filled with instances of people forgetting that we belong to each other. Today’s gospel story is no exception, for in it, Jesus tells his listeners a parable about a man who is beaten and left for dead by the side of the road, only to be passed over by the “holy ones” of the day, and then ultimately helped by the person whom we call the “Good Samaritan.” In this story, it is the Samaritan who remembers that we belong to each other.

However, as is often the case, there is more to Jesus’ story than meets the eye. This is not simply a pleasant story about one guy being nice to someone else. As Jesus originally told it, this is a provocative story – a story meant to raise some eyebrows, meant to push the listeners into thinking differently about other people.

You might remember that the Jews and the Samaritans despised each other – I am not exaggerating. There was deep mistrust on both sides. Mistrust creates fear and fear causes us to do all kinds of awful things – fear causes us to forget that we belong to each other.

So, let’s think of Jesus’ story in this way: think of a group that you really can’t stand. I don’t need to know who it is, and I don’t need to know why. (That’s for a later conversation, if needed!) But think of some group that you struggle to love as you love yourself.

Now, think of one person in that group. Maybe it’s the leader, or someone with whom you’ve had conflict.

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A man was going from Grand Prairie to Dallas, and fell into the hands of muggers, who stripped him, and beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead on the sidewalk. Now by chance, a pastor was out for his morning jog down that same sidewalk; and when he saw the man, he crossed the street to pass by on the other side. So likewise a woman who was an elder in her church – she was out walking her dog – and when she got to the place and saw the man lying there, she crossed the street to pass him by.

But then this person whom you despise came along the same road and saw the man half dead; and was moved with pity, and went to him and bandaged his wounds. Then, this person whom you despise carefully put the injured man into the car and took him to the hospital. This person told the receptionist at the hospital, “Take care of him, and charge my credit card for whatever expenses there may be.”

Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of muggers?

The one who showed him mercy. The one who remembered that we belong to each other.

It may be difficult for us to imagine those whom we can’t stand being merciful. In Jesus’ day, it was just as hard for his listeners to imagine a Samaritan doing good for anyone. By making a Samaritan the good guy in his story, Jesus re-humanizes the one whom they despise. Jesus gives that person a heart – a beating heart, a caring heart – just like yours, just like mine.

And yet, we live in a world that encourages us to be fearful, encourages us to hate others, encourages us to use violence to solve problems and to eradicate every fear. And we forget that sometimes – the person whom we despise is also afraid, and sometimes for very good reason. And so – in our fear – we forget that we belong to each other, and that is when we have no peace, and, in fact, that is when we have the very opposite of peace.

But we are called to something different. God has – as Paul says – transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins: sins caused by our fear of others - or our hatred of them. The sin of racism. The sins of violence against citizens and police officers. The sins of judgment and the spreading of false truths.

We belong to each other. We belong to those in the African American community who are crying out: “Stop killing us.” We belong to the police officers who are saying the very same thing. We belong to the frightened people trying to hide from bullets in the streets of downtown Dallas. We belong to the ones grieving the loss of those they love. We belong to each other.

God hears every cry of every wounded person – whether the wounds are visible, or not. And we are called to listen with God – to be quick to listen to others, so that we can respond not with judgment, but with mercy. It is in mercy that Christ died for us; it is in mercy that we are forgiven by God. It is in that same mercy that we are called to live our lives, reaching out to lift up the fallen, and to care for them.

We cannot continue on in the way we are going. We must remember that if we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten we belong to each other. We must also remember that we all belong to God.

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