Hello friends.
This is Mark Gluttman,
Also known as Brother Frederick James,
Your friendly neighbourhood monk in docks.
Welcome to another episode in our series of guided meditations,
Sitting with the Parables of Jesus.
As we come together today,
Just take a moment to settle,
Allow your breathing to slow,
Your body relax,
Hands resting gently,
Breathing deeply,
No need to hurry,
Nothing to prove,
Just this moment right here,
Right now.
And as we continue listening to the stories of Jesus,
Just allow yourself to arrive with openness,
Curiosity and attention.
Now today's parable begins with a question,
Who is my neighbour?
Sounds simple,
It's a clear question,
It's a reasonable question,
Maybe it's even a question about limits.
Who belongs within a circle of care and who doesn't?
And in Luke chapter 10 verses 25 to 37,
Jesus responds with a story.
A man is injured and he's left on the side of the road.
Two people pass by and don't even stop,
But then a third person approaches,
A Samaritan.
Now to the original listeners,
This would have been completely unexpected and incredibly uncomfortable because Samaritans weren't simply strangers,
They were outsiders.
Quite often they were viewed with suspicion and kept at arm's length at all times,
Even more than arm's length actually.
And yet in this story,
It's the one least expected who stops,
Who sees and who responds.
The parable perhaps doesn't ask who our neighbour is,
But maybe something that goes a bit deeper.
Maybe who do we struggle to see as neighbour?
So as you listen today,
Just notice where in your life might compassion be waiting to take a step closer?
So as we begin,
Let's just listen to the story,
Simply hear the words as Jesus shared them in Luke chapter 10.
Just then,
A lawyer stood up to test Jesus.
Teacher,
He said,
What must I do to inherit eternal life?
He said to him,
What's written in the law?
What do you read there?
He answered,
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbour as yourself.
And he said to him,
You've given the right answer.
Do this and you will live.
But wanting to justify himself,
He asked Jesus,
And who is my neighbour?
Jesus replied,
A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers who stripped him,
Beat him and went away,
Leaving him half dead.
Now,
By chance,
A priest was going down that road,
And when he saw him,
He passed by on the other side.
So likewise a Levite,
When he came to the place and saw him,
He also passed by on the other side.
But a Samaritan,
While travelling,
Came near him,
And when he saw him,
He was moved with pity.
He went to him and bandaged his wounds,
Having poured oil and wine on them.
Then he put him on his own animal,
Brought him to an inn and took care of him.
The next day he took out two denarii,
Gave them to the innkeeper and said,
Take care of him,
And when I come back,
I will repay you whatever more you spend.
Which of these three,
Do you think,
Was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?
He said,
The one who showed mercy on him.
Jesus said to him,
Go and do likewise.
Now let those images rest quietly within you.
The man on the road,
The two who walked by,
The Samaritan,
The one who stopped,
The bandages,
The oil,
The wine,
The donkey,
The innkeeper.
Just see which sits deeply as you ponder them.
And now we'll listen again.
This time,
Listen for that word,
That phrase,
That image that the Spirit seems to be drawing your attention to.
Just then,
A lawyer stood up to test Jesus.
Teacher,
He said,
What must I do to inherit eternal life?
He said to him,
What's written in the law?
What do you read there?
He answered,
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbour as yourself.
And he said to him,
You've given the right answer.
Do this and you will live.
But wanting to justify himself,
He asked Jesus,
And who is my neighbour?
Jesus replied,
A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers who stripped him,
Beat him and went away,
Leaving him half dead.
Now by chance,
A priest was going down that road and when he saw him,
He passed by on the other side.
So likewise a Levite.
When he came to the place and saw him,
He also passed by on the other side.
But a Samaritan,
While travelling,
Came near him.
And when he saw him,
He was moved with pity.
He went to him and bandaged his wounds,
Having poured oil and wine on them.
Then he put him on his own animal,
Brought him to an inn and took care of him.
The next day he took out two denarii,
Gave them to the innkeeper and said,
Take care of him and when I come back,
I will repay you whatever more you spend.
Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?
He said,
The one who showed mercy on him.
Jesus said to him,
Go and do likewise.
Now hold on to that word,
The image,
The phrase,
Whatever it was,
That seemed to jump out and stand to your attention.
And just hold it and remain with it in the silence,
Just for a moment.
And now let's listen a third time.
And as you listen,
Notice where this parable intersects with your life.
Who is your neighbour?
To whom are you called to show compassion?
Remembering that when Jesus interprets this parable briefly at the end,
He indicates that the neighbour is the person who served,
Not the guy who's on the side of the road.
Just then,
A lawyer stood up to test Jesus.
Teacher,
He said,
What must I do to inherit eternal life?
He said to him,
What's written in the law?
What do you read there?
He answered,
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbour as yourself.
And he said to him,
You've given the right answer.
Do this and you will live.
But wanting to justify himself,
He asked Jesus,
And who is my neighbour?
Jesus replied,
A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers who stripped him,
Beat him and went away,
Leaving him half dead.
Now,
By chance,
A priest was going down that road,
And when he saw him,
He passed by on the other side.
So likewise a Levite.
When he came to the place and saw him,
He also passed by on the other side.
But a Samaritan,
While travelling,
Came near him.
And when he saw him,
He was moved with pity.
He went to him and bandaged his wounds,
Having poured oil and wine on them.
Then he put him on his own animal,
Brought him to an inn and took care of him.
The next day he took out two denarii,
Gave them to the innkeeper and said,
Take care of him.
And when I come back,
I will repay you whatever more you spend.
Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?
He said,
The one who showed mercy on him.
Jesus said to him,
Go and do likewise.
So let's rest in stillness for a moment and allow the real depth and perhaps a difficult truth of this parable to sink down deeply into our lives.
And as we go from this time together today,
Of course,
The question seems to stand pretty clear.
Who is my neighbour?
And as you go into your day today,
May you go with ears,
Eyes and hearts,
Attentive to the neighbour that God places before you today.
And may you have the courage to respond to Jesus' command to go and do likewise.
And may grace,
Peace and love go with you and remain with you today and always.
Amen.
Until next time,
Friends,
Go gently and may God's peace be with you.
Bye for now.
