Neighbors and Two Sisters - Pastor Justin Miles

Luke 10:25-42

Snapshot from someone in the pew:

As Pastor Justin started his sermon this morning the last hymn we sang was stuck in my mind - "What a Friend We Have In Jesus." Hymns sometimes use words we don't use everyday; this hymn has the line, "Are we weak and heavy-laden, Cumbered with a load of care"? We don't use the word cumbered often. Even Merriam Webster defines it as an archaic word meaning hindered or cluttered up. And while we do not use the word daily, we often live life cumbered.

As Pastor Justin led us through the Bible passage, I couldn't help but think of how cumbered the characters were in the Bible story. The first person Jesus talked with was a lawyer, an expert in Mosaic Law, who was a little full of his own importance. The Bible says he was trying to trip Jesus up by asking a spiritual sounding question that eventually led Jesus to tell the story of the good Samaritan. We might say the lawyer was trying to cumber Jesus! The expert's own abilities and confidence had him too cumbered to see who Jesus truly was.

Then Jesus encountered two sisters as they opened their home to host Jesus and his traveling party. Mary was at Jesus' feet while her sister Martha was cumbered with all the preparations it takes to entertain a group of people. Unlike the lawyer, Martha had a relationship with Jesus; she had some understanding of who He was, but that didn't stop her from being cumbered! Jesus had to firmly nudge her to the truth that her sister Mary had chosen best when she chose to sit at His feet.

So, how about us, are we cumbered? If we are cumbered, we may be distracted by our egos and miss Jesus. If we are cumbered we will not be a good Samaritan when a neighbor needs help. If we are cumbered with activity we will be a Martha, not a Mary.

I wonder if Mary wasn't the only person in these stories that could sing "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" with a clear heart?

Bullet point summary:

The Kingdom of God has come near through Jesus and through those he sends out.

The Good Samaritan

A discussion between Jesus and a lawyer:

v. 25 What must we do to inherit eternal life?

v 27 Love God and love people (The law in Deuteronomy 6:5)

The problem is - we cannot keep the law - it shows us our inability to keep it and points us to Jesus

v. 29 Who is my neighbor?

The scene - The Jericho Road - popular with robbers

A traveler was beaten and robbed and unable to help himself

- a priest went by

-a Levite went by

(both were part of the religious elite)

- a Samaritan (mixed race - despised by Jews and Gentiles) had compassion on him - cared for him and took him to a safe place where he could heal

We are to love ourselves first before we can love others

vv. 38-42 Mary and Martha welcomed Jesus and his followers

Mary listened at Jesus' feet (culturally a no-no for women to be taught by a rabbi)

Martha asked Jesus to make Mary help her with all the preparations

Closing thoughts:

The only thing we can inherit is our sinful nature - with death as a result

However, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus!

Who are we passing by that needs the truth of the Gospel?