July 10 2022
July 10th 2022
Old Testament: Leviticus 19:9-18 Please print (18:1-5)
Psalm: Psalm 40
Epistle: Colossians 1:1-14
Gospel: Luke 10:25-37
Sermon Text: Leviticus 19:9-18
Sermon Title: “Love Your Neighbor as Yourself”
Grace to you and peace, from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
In the introductory verses of his letter to the Colossian churches, the Apostle Paul speaks words of thanksgiving and prays for the members in those churches; “asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and bearing fruit in every good work”. (Colossians 1:9b-10a)
Paul knows that the power to do all of these things come not from within any person, but rather from God; and so he writes “Give thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins”. (Colossians 1:12-14) The Father is the One who has “qualified you”. He has “delivered” and “transferred” us into His Kingdom. He is the One who grants us “redemption and the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:14); and the hope of eternal life.
Since this is true, we know that salvation has nothing to do with our works and everything to do with God’s grace and mercy shown to us in the death and bodily resurrection of Christ our Lord. Yet, there is in each of us a sinful nature that like the man in Jesus’ parable; “desires to justify himself” (Luke 10:29a) by keeping the law; even quoting the Old Testament reading from Leviticus and the book of Deuteronomy.
So, we are unable to keep the law of God perfectly and be saved by it; yet we are also a “new creation “created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them”. (Ephesians 2:10) The Christian, the new man/creation desires and strives to keep God’s law, however imperfectly; constantly battling the old sinful nature in us and asking God to “search me and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts”. (Psalm 139:23); trusting in Christ alone to deliver us.
So, the Law of God has three purposes according to the Small Catechism; first, the Law helps to control violent outbursts of sin and keeps order in the world. This is called a curb; for Paul wrote, “the law is not laid down for the just, but for the lawless and disobedient”. (1st Timothy 1:9a) Second, the Law of God accuses us and shows us our sins; this is often called a mirror; “for through the Law comes knowledge of sin”. (Romans 3:20)
The third use of the Law, which will be our primary focus today, teaches us Christians what we should and should not do to lead a God pleasing life. This is called a guide. As the Psalmist declared, “how can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to Your Word”. (Psalm 119:9) Knowing our sinful nature, we need to always keep in mind, that the power to live according to God’s Word comes from the Gospel; because the Law always accuses us.
The Lord speaks (to us) today through the prophet Moses; “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy”. (Leviticus 19:2b) “You shall follow My rules and keep My statutes and walk in them. I am the Lord your God”. (Leviticus 18:4) Again, we cannot even begin to do this in our own strength. God alone is the source of our righteousness, forgiveness and salvation, and He gives it to us as a free gift, through the means of grace; the Word and the sacraments.
So, this is not a call to make ourselves holy by what we do, but a call to live the holy life God has prescribed for us. To put it another way, “we are instructed to act in a loving manner, not in order to become the people of God, but because we are the people of God … for God first loved us; therefore, we can love others”. (Brian Kachelmeier sermon notes)
First, He speaks a very specific instruction for the people of Israel regarding how they were to bless the poor and aliens among them during the harvest time. For the sake of those who have no land, “You shall not reap your field right up to its edge … you shall not strip your vineyard bare … you shall leave them for the poor and the sojourner”. (Leviticus 9:9b-10a)
Next, we get a summary reminder and explanation of a few of the (2nd table) commandments; “you shall not steal, you shall not deal falsely, you shall not lie to one another. You shall not swear by My name falsely and so profane the name of your God. I am the Lord”. (Leviticus 19:11-12) These are in order, the 7th, 8th, 2nd, and later the 5th commandment is brought in as well.
Why these commandments, in this order? Perhaps because when someone would falsely claim to own a piece of property that wasn’t really theirs, they would not just be lying, which is breaking the 8th commandment, they would also be breaking the 7th commandment against stealing, and would then be tempted to swear a lying oath before God, thus breaking the 2nd Commandment. In fact, these verses from Leviticus are cited in the Small Catechism under the 2nd Commandment. Luther said regarding this commandment, “God’s name cannot be more grievously abused than for the purposes of falsehood and deceit”. (Large Catechism, par. 52)
“You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him”. (Leviticus 19:13a) These also go back to the 8th and 7th commandments; for to lie about someone is to rob from them not just their money or property, but their good reputation as well. To not pay someone what you promised is also breaking the 7th commandment; “the wages of a hired servant shall not remain with you all night into the morning”. (Leviticus 19:13b) To delay payment in such a way would be to bring hardship especially upon a poor family. To rob someone of their good name can also harm their ability to make a living and support themselves and their families.
How we treat those with various disabilities is also proscribed here; “You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear God. I am the Lord”. (Leviticus 19:14) Any mistreatment of the least of these created by God (whether actively abusing them or passively doing nothing to help) is condemned here by the Lord through Moses.
This involves the fifth commandment also, “we should fear and love God so that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and support him in every physical need”. (5th commandment, explanation) God loves all who He has created and expects His people to do the same, especially for the weakest and most vulnerable; the sick, the elderly, the disabled. Again, Luther wrote, “this commandment is violated not only when a person actually does evil, but also when he fails to do good to his neighbor, or though he has opportunity, fails to prevent him from suffering bodily harm and injury”. (L. C. par. 189)
“You shall not do injustice in the court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness you shall judge your neighbor”. (Leviticus 19:15) Scripture declares, “If you show partiality, you are committing sin and convicted by the law as transgressors”. (James 2:9) Yet we see this repeatedly in our life together; even in the “so-called justice” system today, where guilt or innocence often seems to be the last thing considered. For the Christian, what is right and what is wrong have nothing to do with one’s income or social status, but rather with God’s Holy Word.
Next, the Lord says, “you shall not go around as a slanderer among your people and you shall not stand up against the life (blood) of your neighbor; I am the Lord”. (Leviticus 19:16) Here again, we have the 8th commandment emphasized. In the Small Catechism, the explanation to the 8th commandment declares “we should fear and love God so that we do not tell lies about our neighbor, betray him, slander him or hurt his reputation … but explain everything in the kindest way”. Matthew 18 comes into play here as well. There Jesus said, “if your brother sins against you, (You) go and tell him his fault between you and him alone”. (Matthew 18:15a) The fifth commandment is also implied here, as slander can also result in physical harm to a person.
“You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sins of your own people”. (Leviticus 19:17-18a) As the Apostle John declared, “whoever says he is of the light and yet hates his brother, is still in darkness … and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes”. (1st John 2:9, 12)
Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount declared “everyone who hates his brother is liable to the judgment” (Matthew 5:22b); and is a breaking of the 5th commandment. In the parable of the unforgiving servant, Jesus also declared the eternal danger to those who “do not forgive your brother from your heart”. (Matthew 18:35b)
The final words of the Old Testament reading this morning are, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself; (for) I am the Lord”; (Leviticus 19:18b) Jesus cites this in the Gospel text for today and in Matthew 19 and 22. When asked “which is the greatest commandment in the Law, Jesus said … you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it; You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets”. (Matthew 22:36-40) Jesus gave the same answer to the lawyer today who asked “what shall I do to inherit eternal life”. (Luke 10:25a)
So, in this reading from Leviticus, the Lord has shown us how we are “be holy, as the Lord our God is holy”. (Leviticus 19:2b) First, God’s righteousness is given as a gift of God’s grace to us, received through faith in Jesus Christ, who lived a perfect life and became the perfect sacrifice for our sins by His death on the cross. Our faith is then strengthened by continuing to receive God’s gifts in Word and Sacrament.
Believing in God’s promises then, we are called to live in that righteousness that He has given to us, in the ways described in our reading from Leviticus and throughout the Holy Scriptures. And when we fail, which we will daily, we repent of our failure to love our neighbor as ourselves. As believers in Jesus Christ, we will continue to do these things until he calls us home, or comes again in glory. Amen.
The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus to life everlasting. Amen.