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This thread is paraphrased from @pastortraci’s sermon at @FestHomiletics on Luke 10:25-37, the story of the Good Samaritan. #Homiletics2019
The story we know as The Good Samaritan took place on the road to Jericho. This 17 mile stretch of road was well known to be a treacherous journey. It was also called the Red Road or Blood Road (TB)
Jericho Road was never a destination. It was a place to get through. There were no rest stops or tourist attractions.
Every city in America has a Jericho Road. It is the one where you roll up your windows, lock your doors, and roll through stop signs. In many cities, we have renamed it MLK Road. (TB)
There are 33000 zip codes in America. 6600 zip codes are home to 80% of the children living in poverty. 20% of the zip codes are home to 80% of the kids in poverty. These are the places Jericho Road runs through (TB)
On Jericho Road, schools are underfunded, hospitals are understaffed, services are hard to find, and life expectancy is shorter. (TB)
In hospital setting a crisis (heart attack, stroke) is treated immediately and acutely. A condition (hypertension, congestive heart failure) is medicated and loved with.
In our cities the conditions of Jericho Road are not considered a crisis. They are treated as an acceptable condition. The man beaten on side of Jericho Road is not considered a crisis. He is simply and acceptable condition. (JB)
Many love the story of Good Samaritan because they see themselves in role of helper. All you have to do is stop and help and feel better. It is comforting to think we can help one, and then leave the road repair to someone else. (TB)
But this story is not about tossing coins to the hurting on the side of the road. We are not to see ourselves as Good Samaritan, but Jesus as the man beaten and left to die.
Unless we have solidarity with the one beaten, we will continue to treat Jericho Road as an acceptable condition. Instead of treating symptoms, we are called to do the road work. (TB)
Until we see Jesus in the wounded ones, the ones left to die, until we see Jesus in black and brown bodies, poor, queer, trans, elderly, young, mentally ill, then friends, we have not seen Jesus. (TB)
Only when we see Jesus in the wounded will we decide that violence and exclusion is no longer and acceptable condition. Only then will we do the road work. Only then will we see no more victims and no more robbers on every Jericho Road in every community. (Thanks, @pastortraci)
