Sermon C23 What We Learn from Foreigners
Karl Barth, one of the great theologians of the past century, urged people to read the Bible with a copy of the daily newspaper at their side. Nowadays I am sure that Barth would include the internet where more and more people get their news. Barth realized that the Bible should challenge the way we view human life. Here’s an example, and really I usually prefer not to draw attention to any person who says outrageous and sensationalist things just to make money and especially to make money on a newly published book. But this time, Ann Coulter requires a response. In the news media, this week, Ms Coulter has said that all Jews should become Christians. Yes, she would like to get rid of all Jews by converting them to Christianity. Let us take Karl Barth’s suggestion seriously. Let us hold Ms Coulter’s words in one hand and our Bible in the other—more specifically: today’s Gospel. On the surface, the Gospel Deacon Mary read is the story of Jesus healing 10 people from a physically wasting and a socially isolating disease. Of course, there is the additional theme of gratitude because only one of the ten “returned to give thanks to God.” But the real punch line of the story which drives it home today, is in the simple phrase that the one who returned “was a Samaritan,”
At the time of Jesus, the Samaritans were bitterly hated. Like most deep-seated hatreds, the origin of the conflict had long been buried under almost four centuries of violence and resentment. The Samaritans loved the scriptures and revered David, but they were against Jerusalem as the center of worship and preferred their own “Mount Gerezim.” Samaria attacked Jerusalem. Jerusalem attacked Samaria. Violence and bloodshed led to distrust and hatred. Meanwhile in our Gospel, Luke tells us that only one leper returned and he “glorified God in a loud voice and gave thanks to God.” This one who was cured and who gave thanks just happened to be a Samaritan. This would have surprised any Israelite, for how could the faithless and detested Samaritans give praise to God and thank him for his goodness? And there is another story in which the hero turns out, unexpectedly, to be a Samaritan: the parable of the Good Samaritan. Although other people pass by a wounded man on the side of the road, the Samaritan stops and helps. For the Israelite, how could such a generous man be a Samaritan? These two Samaritan stories stand like book ends on either side of Jesus’ long journey to Jerusalem. Taken together these two stories show us on our journey through life we will learn to love and praise God with our whole heart and soul and to love our neighbor from the very person we detest and distrust. Here the hated foreigner becomes the teacher of the deepest meaning of God’s revelation for us, for our community. We have our Samaritans. Maybe they are Arabs, maybe they come from south of the border, but they show us the mercy and compassion of God, if we allow them, if we learn from them. But Ann Coulters enemies are the Jews.
Who are the Jews? Psalm 113, our responsorial psalm today tells a lot about the Jews. The Jews are the people who heard the word of God first, and who thanked and praised God above all creation. The Jews are the people who worship God in the highest heavens, but who also knew God in a down to earth way because he lifted the poor out of the dust and gave the joy of children to childless couples. I don’t know where Ms. Coulter gets her information about Christians, but we Christians in the mainstream, Roman Catholics, Presbyterians, Anglicans, Methodist and so forth, we Christians pray for our Jewish brothers and sisters. We pray, not for conversion, but that they who were the first to hear the Word of God may continue to grow in the love of God’s name and in faithfulness to God’s Covenant. We pray for them and thank God for them, because like the Samaritans, they teach us how to be what we are called to be, Christians.
It is safe to say that Ann Coulter is not interested in harmony and less in unity. She make’s money off enraging people and setting one group against another. Let us forget and ignore Ann. How can we as sincerely religious people contribute to peace rather than to violence? I think the most important thing we can do as Americans is to guarantee religious freedom and promote religious education so that believers understand that peace and harmony are at the core of every religion. When Jesus pointed out that it was a Samaritan that praised God in a loud voice and who gave sincere thanks to God for Jesus, wasn’t he reminding us to be humble? As Christians we are not perfect, we are forgiven. When we encounter the other religions in the news or in real life, let us remember the Good Samaritan and the one Samaritan who gave thanks and praised God in a loud voice. Let us humbly realize we have a lot to learn.
Amen.