God's Last Words

“Stupid Questions”
Luke 10: 25-37 (NRSV)

Is there such a thing as an unguided missile?

Before they invented drawing boards, what did they go back to?

Day light savings time - why are they saving it and where do they keep it?

Did Noah keep his bees in archives?

Do pilots take crash-courses?

How come wrong numbers are never busy?

How did a fool and his money get together in the first place?

How do you write zero in Roman numerals?

Why is it called a "drive through" if you have to stop?

Why is an electrical outlet called an outlet when you plug things into it? Shouldn't it be called an inlet?

How come you press harder on a remote control when the battery is weak?

If the #2 pencil is the most popular, why's it still #2? 

Have you ever asked a question that you knew was dumb immediately after asking it? For some reason the human brain frequently hiccups and we say and do “dumb things” that suggest we aren’t thinking all that well. 

I was recently at an ice cream shop and bought two quarts of soft serve ice cream and the girl behind the counter asked me if I was going to eat it there or take it out. 

I quickly said, “take out,” but followed up by asking, “Do people buy by the quart and eat it here?” A co-worker’s quick response, “Rarely, but we’re taught that the customer can have it anyway they want it.” 

In our everyday lives we go straight to autopilot and we don’t fully integrate our experiences. The low information culture with the low expectations we live in  encourages these types of dumb questions. But they are actually very valuable because they can be a great source of information for us. 

Alfred North Whitehead once said, “The ‘silly question’ is the first design of some totally new development.” Innovation does often come from inquiry. 

Listen to a question Jesus was asked one day as he taught (Luke 10: 25-37): 

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 is 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 neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you shall live.” 

But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 

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, 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 in, 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 neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?”He said, “The one who showed mercy.” 

 Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” 

The reason why “who is my neighbor” is a stupid question is that Judaism and the Rabbi’s had answered that question so well that most Jews already knew the answer before they really knew the question. You were taught it. 

Laws governed every relationship you had with every possible scenario you could encounter. You just acted the part.  

Jewish Lawyers were experts in the law and this guy was using sarcasm to  suggest to Jesus he was being too simplistic in giving answers everybody already knew. 

Jesus’ reply contrasted the “right answer” with a new and improved version that would apply to everyone. Just as Jesus sent His 70 disciples out to everyone, including gentiles, the new definitions and behavioral instructions apply to all. 

The road to Jericho is not an easy one – Jerusalem is about 3500 feet above sea level while Jericho is 1500 feet below. It is twenty miles of rough dangerous road. Even as late as the 1930’s it was known as the robber’s road. No one travelled it alone and having a neighbor would be necessary to stay safe on the road. 

It’s a parable about the dangerous world Jesus and we live in.  

Mercy and grace will be the new normal. The “law” will no longer be a set of automatic customs and traditions, but a living breathing, “spirit,” that will inspire compassionate acts of love to occur. Receiving grace creates living in grace. 

Out of the abundant life we are given as followers of Jesus and inheritors of His kingdom our gratitude will lead us to both planned and random acts of kindness. 

For the serious Christian and theologian I have always felt the story of the “Good Samaritan” has a legitimate claim on how why America became who it is today.  

Historically, Christians have long debated what’s called the “Just” (as in Justice) War question – Is there a time when a Christian nation is justified in military aggression? I think the answer is found in how you view the parable of the Good Samaritan. 

Few quibble over defensive reactions and/or the need to act to help your neighbor recover from a devastating attack or illness. But what if the Good Samaritan had come upon the man as he was being attacked, slightly before hand, or watched the robbers hide prior to the attack? What would Jesus have had us do then? 

How you answer these questions says more about your faith (and foreign policy outlook) than you may have ever realized. Jesus knows we will be forever torn between the ethics of law and the ethics of love.  

Jesus “changes” the question from “who is my neighbor” to “whom can I be a neighbor too,” and the answer He gives to this stupid question is a world changing shocker to the Jews and the Gentiles.  

Jesus answer is that “anyone who needs my help claims a piece of my love.” It is not neighborhood that defines our actions but neighborliness.  

Wow, have you ever heard that before? 

If you want to know why America did what it did around the world over the last 200 years – look no further than the story of the Good Samaritan.  

This story has colored the history of America and it explains why we are both loved and hated around the world.  

Some countries know us for our open pockets, open arms, and loving assistance. 

Others see us as meddling, egotistical maniacs who would promote our own self-centered and toxic culture on others, because they don’t understand Jesus’ teachings. We give help and assistance but so others may have it. 

The reason why America became great was because of the abundant blessings of God which have been used to live our neighborliness to the world. 

And upholding that ideal and living that dream was inspiring and beautiful. 

Those who would say America was NOT built on Christian principles don’t understand how the Good Samaritan doctrine is our linchpin to the American identity and our link to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” 

It is this rejection of a national ideal, and the idea that church and state can be separated, that has brought us to where we are today. The ethics of the Good Samaritan are effective if it permeates a culture like ours. Even if you don’t know the story and don’t live it the culture reflects it. 

Rising debt, unenforceable laws, rampant violence, and the culture of the “me is entitled” mentality have arisen out of a culture that has forgotten or rejected even the need for God or an acknowledgement that society must have rules or else chaos reigns.  

Our government is in ruins because we too are in ruins. It was first our schools, then our churches, then our government, then our families, and now it is our very individual lives. And we are letting it happen. 

It explains the issues behind the politics of the Travon Martin – George Zimmerman trial. One sees the clash between the “Good Samaritan” and those who influence the “thug” world mentality of the urban culture. Both of these persons are victims of the stereotype because we’ve lost sight of our neighborliness and love. 

There’s a reason that Christians are being attacked because they supposedly don’t want gay marriage and abortion on demand – it invalidates the Good Samaritan concept. Evil has used these two issues to create chaos and dissension in our society.

Is there an answer? Read, study, and learn both our national history and your Bibles. American is and has been the only country ever in the history of humanity to live out the story of “the Good Samaritan.” 

Begin to stand up and be counted as an individual who will no longer go along with the dangerous culture. Be different. Care, love, and increase your neighborliness. 

Hear this: Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”Amen.