Our readings work beautifully together to reflect the nature of our call as God's People. In the psalm {Ps. 82] God demotes and sentences to death all the other deities, for siding with the wicked against the weak, the orphan, the humble and needy, the weak and the poor. Here we learn all about God's "preferential option" for poor and marginalized people and his disdain for the wicked who prosper through taking advantage of them.
Then we have the herdsman and tree-dresser whom God calls to prophetic ministry [Amos 7: 7-17]. Amos has a vision and, in this dream, God appears in human form, holding a plumb-line in his hand. He has measured King Jeroboam and Father Amaziah, and has concluded that church and state are both corrupt and headed for oblivion. When Amos reveals this dream, the news is not at all well- received. Amaziah pulls Amos's credentials to minister in the shrine at Beth-el, one of the oldest and most important religious sites, and indeed the King's sanctuary. (It's like clergy being disinvited to a Presidential Prayer Breakfast!) Amos has spoken truth to Power and Power does not want to hear it. The plumb-line calls for a complete consistency between God's will (as revealed in our psalm today) and our own will. The two main vehicles for taking care of those in need -- church and state -- are both failing to meet the challenge. Is that not still the case in our country today?
In our Gospel pericope [Luke 10:25-37] a lawyer asks Jesus what is need for eternal life and Jesus returns the question. The man answers reciting the Sh'ma, which states that you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and strength and mind, and your neighbour as yourself. This recitation is doing first-thing by observant Jews, even to this day. Jesus tells him he is right, but the lawyer intends to dig further, so he asks who is his neighbour. Now that term as used in that culture meant one thing: your fellow Israelite. The lawyer is really asking whom he is not required to love.
Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan. A man is beaten, robbed, and left for dead. Religious professionals -- a priest and a Levite -- see him and ignore him. (No doubt because they headed to religious activities and touching a living Samaritan, or a dead body, or even blood or other bodilly fluids, was believed to render them impure, and they couldn't function in their religious capacities. While they ignore the problem, a Samaritan sees the man, administers first-aid, takes him to an inn, standing good for all expenses. This story would have been considered offensive to some Jews, to many absolutely unacceptable. Samaritans were despised as half-breeds, low-lifes and heretics, for Samaritans used a different Bible, had different theories of inspiration, and worshipped in a different temple.
Jesus then asks the lawyer who was neighbour to the man who was almost murdered, and of course, the grudging answer (he can't even come to make himself say 'Samaritan') is the one who showed kindness. Jesus says, go do the same! And so we are reminded that God loves all his children and calls us to love, embrace, and serve all. Not just those who look, talk, smell, act,and worship as we do. So, is the refugee in a cage my neighbour? Yes! Are the Muslims in my community my nieghbours? Yes! Are the dirt-poor hidden away at the end of town considered my neighbours? Yes! Are the gay couple down the street my neighours? Yes. There simply are no non- neighbours. Jesus knew how well people could play with the Law, but you can't make an end-run around grace. His radical call for discipleship means serving all those in need. No exceptions!
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