Parallel Parable

Sermon: "Parallel Parable"
(These are notes from a sermon preached both at a Pennsylvania state park, and in a small, rural Penna. church.)
Text: Luke 10: 25-37

1> Tell story of Good Samaritan:
> the questioner is a lawyer-- a pillar of the relig. community, a person w/ very strong place in society--thru story, placed in position of a vulnerable, needy person
> priest & Levite -- good persons -- who may feel some sympathy but have a "good," i.e., understandable reason for not stopping
> the Samaritan, (Jews who stayed dur. Bab.exile + mixed w/other races), (mixed, therefore, adulterated) race, wrong relig.--despised, impure, unclean.
> prophets of OT, etc. warned with word of God about mixing with other peoples, losing relig.
> But what would your natural reaction, your natural response, be to someone who had just saved your life? Great gratitude? Blessing?
> (e.g., when I picked up foreign woman--drove her to Our Lady of Victory--her gratitude--not because I was Catholic, or Slavic, or whatever)
> Jesus setting up a situation for this virtuous pillar of his community to see that this despised, “unclean,” of mixed, adulterated race, wrong-relig. person was rightfully his neighbor

2> Realization: Jesus doing many things in this story, that we don't usually recognize when we learn/teach it in Sunday school:
> not just story about helping your neighbor -- because Jesus asks "who was the neighbor to the man who was in need?"
> [i.e., our neighbor not just the one who is in need--our neighbor=the otherwise despised one who shows God's love by helping us
> Consequence of hearing parable:
> emotional walls broken down that divided this socially secure pillar of commun. from the despised member
> Strong, secure member of society comes to realize that the despised member of a adulterated race is his neighbor, and that that person is qualified to help him and show him God's love
> Jesus in this parable not only showed who neighbor is, but broke down social/cultural/psych./emot. walls and barriers

3> We've got to realize Jesus in many ways seemed like one of these untouchables to the good, religious people of his day-- set aside laws, even those graven in stone (like working on the Sabbath)
> set aside purity laws of who is touchable, what is clean/unclean--washing hands, touching dead body, menstruating woman

4> Let me tell a parallel parable of our neighbor today--
> Young Hispanic woman, a legal immigrant--moral upbringing in conservative Catholic family--pretty good-paying job in L.A.--driving rather old used car from Baja Calif. in Mexico to Los Angeles. (Back from helping mother, to job in L.A.) Car breaks down in middle of nowhere.
> She is set upon by two young hoodlums who beat and rape her and leave her for dead.
> Hours later, 3 vehicles come by, one after another
> Trucker goes by w/ load of fresh produce to get to distributor in L.A., is in rush to make his delivery
> notices what might be a body beside road, can't stop, but starts trying to get ahold of authorities on his CB
> Elderly couple goes by--frail elderly woman, her husband w/ heart condition; they notice what might be a body lying beside road. --afraid to stop for fear hoodlums may still be around, and what can they do? (they ask themselves), neither can stay while other goes for help; resolve to call authorities at first gas station or town they come to.

5> Ellen DeGeneres & gay friend have been on vacation in Baja Calif., driving homeward to L.A. Notice what might be a body lying beside the road
> Pull over, see it's a badly injured woman--get kind of frantic, yell, "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" Don't know what to do, but know the woman can't stay there.
> Check pulse, find still alive--pick up woman into back seat of their car
> Drive as fast as they can to nearest city w/ med ctr., pay for woman's care--leave money & say charge any other expenses to Ellen

6> Now we could ask, who was neighbor to the woman who was in need? ....?
> Of course--the one who showed God's love to the one in need...

> Wouldn't it be nice if changing one's mind were that simple?

> Well, it usually isn't that easy—“There wasn't any gay person who saved my life or payed for my medical care” (Tho' probably has been for someone else!)

7> In my own life, in various places throughout my life, I came to know many people of all kinds--artists & designers, students in psych & hum dev; human service workers; etc., etc.

> Many people, both men & women--who were interesting, intelligent, funny, creative, caring, compassionate, friendly, ethical
> only after I got to know them as somebody I like & cared about & respected, did I learn they were gay.

> I know that people here are not judgmental
> but in some places, people talked about people I had come to know & respect & care about--& called them degenerate, perverts

> Define homosexuality: NOT pedophilia, rape, prostitution, abuse or harm of another--but homosexuals as persons who, for whatever reason, are not phys. attracted to opposite sex.

> Evidence that it's genetic, growing every year --
> Some say, yes, well--"Even so, it's like alcoholism & can be avoided/cured" -- some others say "it's genetic & like left-handedness or albinism" --
> left-handedness can be "cured" too, many were treated thus in childhood -- but used to be thought "sinister," bad
> and sure, an albino can dye hair & wear contact lenses so we don't have to look at someone with white hair & red eyes--but should an albino have to dye his hair & wear contact lenses because somebody calls them a degenerate monster, if they don't? (When they were born that way?)

> homosexuality is often a real disadvantage in this society = albinism is a real disadvantage, but it can't be “cured” by disguising it or covering it up, in fact it can't be “cured” at all -- and real homosexuality can never be changed--and trying to would remove other gifts

> So we need to recognize the gay person as our neighbor, and respect him or her, and not despise our neighbor--just as that proud, secure Jewish lawyer, pillar of his community, seeking to justify himself, had to learn that the despised, adulterated, wrong-religion Samaritan was indeed his neighbor -- and indeed that he had to emulate the good actions of that very person