A Famine Not of Bread

"The Good Samaritan" by James Tissot Click here to listen to this sermon. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Jesus told this story: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, 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, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell...

"The Good Samaritan" by Eugene Burnand Click here to listen to this sermon. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Jesus told this story: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, 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, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Jesus asked the young man who wanted to define “neighbor”: “Which o...

Click here to listen to this sermon. “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise ” (Luke 10:36–37). Grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ! The man who comes to “test” Jesus is an expert in religious law. Our text calls him a “lawyer,” but the Gospels more often identify such people as “scribes.” These men are often depicted as hostile toward Jesus and acting in league with the Pharisees. Typically, they let it be known that they considered Jesus’ observance of the Law to be deficient. In contrast to the majority of scribes in the Gospel accounts, however, this one shows no overt antagonism toward Jesus. Still, with his opening question, you sense there is going to be more than a little tension. “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” he asks. What does anyone ever do to get an inheritance?...

Click here to listen to this sermon. The text for today is our Gospel lesson, Luke 10:25-37, which has already been read. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Live by the Law; die by the Law.   Ask a Law question, and you’ll get a Law answer.   The question (two of them, actually) comes from a synagogue “lawyer,” one whose job it is to make the Bible reasonable and doable.   His question to Jesus is naturally a Law question: “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” It is a reasonable question.   It is the most fundamental of all religious questions.   One asked by spiritually inquisitive people throughout the ages.   What must I do to get to heaven?   What do I have to do to be saved?   What do I have to do to be good with God?   It’s not a bad question in itself; but it is a dangerous question to ask Jesus, especially when asked this particular way: “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Pa...