Getting Lost in the Woods

There are two important things happening in today’s gospel lesson.  1  An exchange between Jesus and a lawyer, who fires off a line of questioning that he hopes will trip Jesus up.  Is this well known parable,  The Good Samaritan , which might be more aptly named,  The Good Neighbor . The lawyer who approaches Jesus would have been an expert in Jewish law, and he was quite deliberate in his questioning. 2   He asks:  What must I do to inherit eternal life? (v.25)  Now, Jesus is wise, and knows exactly what this lawyer is up to. He playfully uses the law as a teaching moment.  Jesus asks: What is written in the law? What do you read there? (v.26) The lawyer references two passages: In Deuteronomy, the law says we are to love God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind.  (6:5) In Leviticus, the law says we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. (19:18)   Jesus affirms that the lawyer has indeed given the right answer, and tells him: Do this, and you will live.  (v.28) But this lawye

It begins with Jesus, as he teaches, heals, and offers a vision of God’s dream.  Then the movement progresses to the twelve apostles, where Jesus empowers them to teach and heal in God’s name, telling them to,   “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money - not even an extra tunic”   (Luke 9:1-3) . They were to rely on God. By the time we arrive at today’s lesson, Jesus has appointed seventy leaders to support this swiftly, growing movement.  The text says he,  “...sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go”   (Luke 10:1) .  Jesus tells them that,  “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few” ;  in other words - your labor for God’s kingdom will help the good news of God’s dream to reach even more people  (Luke 10:2).  He sends them on their way with some guidance… First, he tells them:   You are like lambs wandering beyond the safe protection of their shepherd, you are going to encounter resistance and