Trinity XIII 2004

Symbiosis: association of two different organisms living attached to each other or one within the other; co-operation of persons, hence symbiotic etc. If we can recall our high school biology we might remember that organisms in a symbiotic relationship often are utterly co-dependent – one without the other would perish.

In 1955 Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen wrote a song that was originally recorded by Frank Sinatra. The words began, “Love and marriage, love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage.” Trite perhaps, but nonetheless so very true in its analogous reference to symbiosis – a truly successful marriage is utterly dependent on love for it to survive, and vice versa. “You can’t have one without the other.”

The parable of the Good Samaritan is at one and the same time, both centrally important and, well, dangerous. Centrally important, as it set a new standard that was uncharacteristic of leading world religions, not least in departing radically from Jewish teaching. Anyone reading the parable, even for the first time, and therefore perhaps not fully grasping all of the nuances contained in it, will surely recognize that the bottom line point that Jesus is making to the clever lawyer is that there is no-one who is not our neighbour - this being a very radical answer to the Jewish listeners, as, in typically Pharisaic fashion, they had subdivided the definition of neighbour into many levels, depending on the status of their fellow Jews; but, by their complex definition, only other Jews qualified as a neighbour. Jesus taught that there is nobody on this planet, regardless of race, colour, creed, or any other supposedly detestable distinction, who is not our neighbour and who we should not help when they are truly in need, or from whom we might accept charity when we are in need. This Christian standard, granted not always practised by the majority of Christianity at all times during the past 2,000 years, is nonetheless inarguably what Christ taught and what all parts of His Church should therefore believe and practise.

At the same time, this parable is dangerous, as it can quite naturally lead to becoming completely focussed on loving one’s neighbour, even to the extent that that becomes one’s creed, as it were. “As long as I am kind to everyone, I’m OK, right?” The danger there being that God is left completely out of the picture. Someone in the past has referred to this as “Rotary Club Christianity,” but of course, it’s not Christianity at all without Christ. To which some will still say, quite easily pointing at professed Christians whose public behaviour is clearly not fully loving at all times, “And what’s so wrong with that, as long as I’m getting along with everybody?”

Loving one’s neighbour, just in itself, very often can be rather self-serving. We needn’t look beyond our own city for many examples of do-gooders whose motivation seems primarily to be that of recognition and public praise. And yet, for those few whose public persona is so very important, or the many less public figures whose motivation is still driven by some sense of need for self-satisfaction or fulfilment, there are many others, who profess no conscious belief in God, and whose motivation appears to be entirely altruistic – they are not doing it either for praise, recognition, or even out of a sense of duty towards those less fortunate – they truly embody the unselfishness as displayed by the Good Samaritan.

Our Lord most certainly emphasized the importance of random acts of kindness in His teachings, not only in today’s parable but elsewhere. Indeed, He did so often enough that it is not difficult to see why some, having read the Gospels, might go away with the impression that love of neighbour is the complete fulfilling of the Law; and, therefore, guarantees one their place in eternal bliss. And that conclusion is both correct and incorrect.

Incorrect insofar as one might assume that such love of neighbour is perfectly and completely achievable without God. Correct insofar as one is unconsciously motivated to perform such good works – motivated by the grace of God, His will working with theirs through their hearty desire to love Him with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength. And there is the answer to the apparent quandary of the non-believer whose unselfish heart is a reflection of that of the Good Samaritan, yea, of the heart of Jesus. The Bible itself is full of examples of individuals, non-believers, who were unconsciously motivated by God, often, but not always, to perform good deeds worthy of a Saint. One might even cleverly argue that, because every human is created in the image of God, then helping any of our fellow humans is a form of loving God. True enough, but only up to a point.

It is worth noting that in today’s reading, when Jesus asked the lawyer what the Law required in order that one might inherit eternal life, that the lawyer responded with exactly the same answer as Jesus did elsewhere when the same question was put to Him, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.” This “Summary of the Law” as we call it today, is read at all of our celebrations of the Holy Eucharist, except when we read the full Ten Commandments, as we did this morning. The Summary is a condensed version of the Ten Commandments – love of and duty towards God being expressed in the first four Commandments, and love of and duty towards our neighbour in the last six.

Earlier, we considered that it would be quite easy, based on Jesus’ teachings to come away with the impression that love of neighbour is the complete fulfilling of the Law. In truth, if one were to use some sort of statistical method, one must rather conclude, based on His teachings and discourses and the remainder of the teaching contained in the New Testament, that love of God is above all, taking significant precedence over love of neighbour. When questioned, Jesus almost always put love of God in that position of primacy.

But how do we fulfil that particular commandment? It is very easy for one to state that he or she loves God, but how does anyone else prove that? Is there a litmus test? If we hear someone reciting one of the Creeds, does that provide proof of their love of God? If others come to worship at all available opportunities, is that proof of their love of God? Even in our own little group, one must surely admit that not all of us at all times are completely focussed during these activities to the extent that an outsider might validly question the depth of our commitment, and therefore, love of God. Most certainly God expects us to acknowledge Him as our Creator, Redeemer, Sanctifier, Saviour; and we most chiefly do that in boldly proclaiming the Creeds, in gathering to worship Him at all available opportunities, to speak to Him privately in prayer. Those activities, important as they are, are nonetheless insular, largely hidden from the non-believing world. How will the world ever know that we love God?

Symbiosis. Love of God is utterly and inextricably bound up in love of neighbour. St. John in his first Letter to the Churches states, “If a man say, ‘I love God,’ and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.” This having been preceded by a lengthy discourse on love of brother being bound up in love of God and vice versa. You can’t have one without the other.

In one of his sermons about the Good Samaritan, Dr. Martin Luther King, with his gift for memorable turns of phrase stated, “His goodness was not found in a passive commitment to a particular creed, but in his active participation in a life saving deed.” Here he speaks to that other caveat about the love of God that is found in love of neighbour – it is not just helping someone across the street, or picking up their spilled groceries at the supermarket. The Good Samaritan not only went out of his way to help, he also risked his own safety in so doing – without thought of praise or reward. Love of neighbour as presented in this parable is absolutely selfless, even heroic, achievable only when God’s love is working through us.

As believers, we may or may not always be aware of this intertwining of our love of God naturally manifesting itself, not only in actively worshipping Him, but also in our selfless regard and care for our fellow humans. When we witness those who profess, outwardly, to be non-believers, obviously acting out this love of God, let us quietly give thanks for that subconscious manifestation of the Divine love.

Love of God, love of neighbour. Symbiosis. You can’t have one without the other.

ANNUNCIATION, OTTAWA 2004 CLRK