Wrong Side of the Road

14 July 2019

Amos 7:7-17; Luke 10:25-37

The power outage this past week was an odd duck.  While we were without power, we decided to go out to eat.  We had no idea the extent of the power outage, but we were hopeful we would find some place open for a meal.  As we drove past the EZ-Mart, I was hoping we wouldn’t have to settle for gas station corn dogs since they had power.

Reflecting on this oddity made me think of what is written in Ecclesiastes: “The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of a fool to the left” (10:2 NRSV).  Going east, the right side of the road had power, thus “light”.  Of course, going west changed everything.  Still, I began to think about the choices we are often compelled to make.  Light vs. darkness.  Good vs. evil.  Often, however, we may fool ourselves into believing life is not that black & white, that we don’t deliberately choose the “dark side” … but we don’t choose the “light”, either. 

This is the parallel I saw between our reading from Amos and Luke’s version of the Good Samaritan.  Each recounts careless or blind choices and the consequences.  In the parable of the Good Samaritan, the priest and the Levite did not choose to do good; but it is unlikely they deliberately chose evil when they passed by the victim.  They probably believed they were being prudent when it seemed clear there were robbers in the area.

Amos seems a little darker in that the prophet is not calling Israel to repentance more than he is pronouncing The Lord’s judgment on a people who should have been more consciously aware of the choices they make; and because they consistently chose poorly, the consequences of their actions would soon bear down on them.

The prophets are hard for Christians to read because the profile of this seemingly angry God is incompatible with our loving, compassionate, New Testament Father of Jesus the Messiah.  However, the first mistake we make is assuming there is such a contrast; the second mistake we make is convincing ourselves that because of Jesus, our Holy Father is more inclined to look the other way – especially if we call ourselves “saved”.

When it comes to expectations our Holy Father has for His people, Jesus dispels any notion that there is a different standard - not only with His teaching in the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) but also His further teaching in Luke 12:48 in which our Lord says, “To whom much is given, much more is required”. 

The Holy God we worship and celebrate in Christ is the very same One who pronounced judgment against His own people; and even the dark, foreboding words of the prophets attest to this reality.  The trick is to read more deeply than the words on the pages and, as I have said consistently, learn to read contextually and get past the idea that memorizing a few key verses constitutes biblical knowledge.

Although justice is a recurring theme throughout the Scriptures, Amos is unique in that justice (or the profound lack thereof) seems to be The Lord’s sole focus in His indictment against the Northern Kingdom of Israel (Judah in the south).  What may be worst is that Amos is not so much calling Israel to repentance more than he is relaying The Lord’s judgment which is coming – especially after Amos was told to go back home to Judah (7:12) by the high priest.

In the Northern Kingdom during this period was unusual prosperity, but the people were not being judged for being prosperous.  It was how they became exceedingly prosperous that got The Lord’s attention.  This “how” created a whole class of victims who actually lost more than the prosperous gained. 

It could be said these prosperous folks were not deliberately choosing to deceive the people who lost so much more than they were only more aware of gaining more and more wealth.  Whether such a mindset is likely, however, is beside the point.  The fundamental Commandment to love one’s neighbor as oneself does not come into play.  The Commandments are the terms of the Covenant, and these are supposed to be Covenant people.  As are we.

The priest and the Levite who passed by the victim in Jesus’ parable AND the high priest who demanded Amos go back to where he came from are in the same spiritual boat.  And each represents many more than just themselves.  They represent an entire class of people who are more aware of their own well-being than they are aware of the plight of those less fortunate; those who are stuck in the margins of society, those who are victimized through no fault of their own, those who are down-and-out.

The Holy God was about to turn the Northern Kingdom over to the Assyrians, and all that was gained by those who were so prosperous would soon be lost – and Israel would never see that level of prosperity again because it was clear they could not handle it.  And those who had lost what little they had before it was stolen from them will actually fare a little better in Exile because the playing field will soon be leveled.

Whether we are talking about the deliberate pursuit of wealth or simply taking precautions and being prudent about our personal well-being, the spiritual risk in either is about how much more we are aware of our Lord and His Commandments.  In being more aware of our own station in life or pursuing our own piece of the so-called “American Dream”, we do not believe we are doing evil.  Yet the good we may think we are doing is directed solely on our own personal gain.

If we are not deliberately pursuing the good, which always involves others who are not as well off, there is nothing left but evil.  Just as Jesus teaches that “those who are not against Me are with Me” (Luke 11:23), there is no spiritual ambivalence or ambiguity in Christianity nor in Judaism. 

The same God who punished Israel and Judah and brought them back Home after their Exile is the same God who brought Light into the world in Christ Jesus.  In doing so, our Holy Father did not negate His Holy Commandments, and Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan affirms this.  Indeed, Jesus’ entire ministry affirms this.

We are all under judgment, for our Shepherd has so declared: “This is the judgment, that Light has come into the world” (John 3:19).  By His Presence and His ministry and His giving so fully of Himself, we have been judged worthy of this profound Love.  Yet by this same declaration, our Lord has also said we must still choose to be in that Light or abide in darkness “so our deeds may not be exposed” (John 3:20).

We who are baptized and confirmed into the Holy Covenant have been entrusted with much.  Let us be about the business of our Father – because this is the existence of the entire Church.  As our Shepherd has taught us: “let your Light shine before others so they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).  It is the deliberate choice we must make in every waking moment.  Done faithfully, it will be enough for now.  Amen.