Jesus used to tell a story about a man on the path between Jerusalem and Jericho who was mugged, beaten, and left for dead. What happens to this desperate man in the desert? People pass by, but they don’t stop. A priest passes by. A Levite passes by. Both were headed to Temple business. If […]
Sermon Topic: Parable of the Good Samaritan
A Sermon for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
When a lawyer asks a question, the best ones, so I am told, ask questions they already know the answers to. So, when a lawyer, in the midst of a crowd asks Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” We might presume that he’s asking not because he doesn’t know, but because he […]
Do this!
In March my family and I travelled to Israel. We had a wonderful experience there and we travelled extensively and saw a great deal. But I would like to share something with you that happened while we were in Nazareth, this is by way of introduction to the story that Jesus told about man in […]
The Good Samaritan: Context Matters
Despite our culture’s amnesia concerning its Christian roots, the story of the Good Samaritan remains a story that a number of people recognize—remains, that is, a familiar story. But the reason Jesus tells the story, the context of the story, is often forgotten. Yet without the context, we are apt to get the thing wrong. […]
Doers, Not Just Hearers
In order to better understand the parable of the Good Samaritan, found in the tenth chapter of the Gospel of Saint Luke, it is best to rehearse some background beginning in the ninth chapter. “And it came to pass, when the time was come that [Jesus] should be received up, he steadfastly set his face […]
Against Breaking Jesus' Law, and Heart
In a recent publication, the dean of Westminster Abbey wrote about a small 14th century carving of the Blessed Virgin Mary in what was once a lady chapel in the Abbey. While the principal image of Mary was removed at some point in history, a small boss in the ceiling of the chapel has survived […]
The Good Samaritan, the Neighbor
It is hard to overstate the influence of the parable of the Good Samaritan upon western society. I think of the charitable organization called the Samaritans which is dedicated to providing help to people in emotional distress or contemplating suicide, an organization dedicated not to walking past such persons but rather assuring them that they […]
Between Jerusalem and Jericho
In our reading from the Gospel of Luke today we get to overhear a kind of discussion that Christians don’t often get to hear: a rabbinic-style argument over the interpretation of the Torah. A lawyer asks, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He knows, of course: to inherit eternal life you must […]
A Sermon for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
When a lawyer asks a question, the best ones, so I am told, ask questions they already know the answers to. So, when a lawyer, in the midst of a crowd asks Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” We might presume that he’s asking not because he doesn’t know, but because he […]
