READINGS: Deut. 30:10-14; Psalm 68:14,17,30-31,33-34,36-37; Col 1:15-20; Luke
10:25-37
THEME: THE ROAD LEADING FROM JERICHO TO JERUSALEM?
a. “WHAT SHALL I DO TO INHERIT ETERNAL LIFE?” (Lk 10:25)
The gospel reading of today (Lk 10:25-37) says that a lawyer came to Jesus with the question “Master, what I do to inherit eternal life?”
From the dialogue that follows, we know that the evangelist is correct in saying that the lawyer asked the question in order to tempt Jesus. This is because, in the long run, it is the lawyer himself who answered the question (cf Lk 10:27, 37).
But are we not attracted to stop a while and ask ourselves the same question: “what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Is this question not calling each one of us to ask himself or herself the same question or even in another way “am I doing what I suppose to do in order to inherit eternal life?”
Everyday when I open my eyes and behold the blessing of a new day, the blessing of a new opportunity, do I allow this question to guide me throughout my day “Am I doing what I should do in order to inherit eternal life?”
Come to think of it, do we even still see this our earthly life as an opportunity to gain and prepare for ourselves an eternal life?”
Is eternal life still the goal. How often do we go to Jesus to ask him “am I still on the track leading to eternal life?” “Is there anything I am doing which will deprive me of eternal life?”
“Is there anything else I need to be doing to get myself ready and well prepared for eternal life?” Is our whole attention focused on this passing life that we do not give time for life that is coming?
b. ON THE ROAD LEADING FROM JERICHO TO JERUSALEM
In the New Testament, some events like the healing of the blind Bartimaeus as recorded by Mark (Mk 10:46-52), the encounter of Jesus with Zacchaeus (Lk 19:1-28) happened around Jericho.
In both instances, Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem and thus needed to pass through Jericho.
In the New Testament, Jericho is presented as a gateway town, a pass-through place for travelers to Jerusalem.
Today again, in the parable of the good Samaritan, we see a man moving to Jerusalem and thus needed to go through Jericho.
Because of the importance of Jerusalem city and the fact that it is not just the capital city of Judean kingdom but also an important city that houses the temple of God, it attracted and still attracts both Jews going for their pilgrimages, and other people going to marvel at its magnificence. Jerusalem hosts many visitors.
Jericho is presented even in the time of Jesus as a danger zone where many bandits used to come out to attack those moving to Jerusalem and rob them of the things they had.
In the parable of the good Samaritan, the fact that we were not told if the man attacked and injured by the bandits was a Jew or not makes it all the more interesting.
Our life here on earth is a journey from Jericho to Jerusalem. Our destination is heavenly Jerusalem, the city of God, where God has made us to live with him, in an everlasting worship and glory.
But in going to Jerusalem, we must pass through Jericho, we must pass through this earthly life.
We aim at eternal life of Jerusalem city, but we must first pass through this passing life. In this our journey to the eternal city, to the mountain of God, we face many dangers in Jericho.
In Jericho, the enemy comes to rob us of our virtues, of our treasures, of our spiritual goods and qualities, even of our strength to move on to God.
On this road from Jericho to Jerusalem, many of us are wounded – wounded by sickness, frustration, disappointment, addictions, sins of different types.
Many of us suffer severe addictions to drinks and sexual gratifications, loneliness and abandonment, betrayal and dejection etc. that we are left without any spiritual and/or moral energy to continue the journey.
In the parable of the good Samaritan, the fact that we were not told if the man attacked and injured by the bandits was a Jew or not makes it all the more interesting.
This unnamed man therefore can be me or you, lying wounded and without strength on the road to our heavenly Jerusalem.
Dear brothers and sisters, the world does not need priests and Levites who will be afraid of going against ritual cleanliness and as such prefer to pass through without touching us, the wounded;
The world does not need men and women who are too busy and in a haste that they do not see us lying and breathing for help;
The world does not need content creators who will stand with their cameras to make videos of our predicaments and make money with them; the world does not need those who will pretend they are very insignificant and cannot do
anything.
The world needs those who will stop by, come close to the wounded and suffering, help them recover again, and sacrifice the much they have for their redemption.
The world needs those who, like the good Samaritan, will take note of those suffering around them and be moved by love of the neighbor, the love of God.
c. “DO THE SAME AND YOU SHALL LIVE” (cf Lk 10:28,37)
In wishing to know how one could have access to eternal life, the lawyer asked Jesus, “Master, what shall I do (ποιήσας) to inherit eternal life?” In this question, the verb ‘to do’ as used by this lawyer is in aorist tense.
Verbs in aorist tense denote a simple, one-time action, without any repetition or reoccurrence.
Hence, when the lawyer uses aorist form of the verb ‘to do’, in inquiring from Jesus about what he had to do in order to gain eternal life, he intended a one-time action he had to perform as to gain eternal life.
But Jesus corrected him in two different occasions within the same pericope. The first place is in Lk 10:28. When the lawyer asked Jesus, “Master, what shall I do (ποιήσας) to inherit eternal life?” and Jesus, knowing the man to be a Jew (every Jew is expected to know his scripture), threw back the question to him saying “what is written in the Law? What do you read there?” The man answered, “you must love the Lord God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour (πλησίον) as yourself” (Lk 10:27).
Then Jesus said to him “You have answered correctly, do (ποίει) this and you shall live” (Lk 10:28). The second place is in Lk 10:37, the last statement of the pericope where Jesus again responding to man’s correct answering, said to him “Go, and do (ποίει) the same yourself” (Lk 10:37).
In both cases (Lk 10:28 and Lk 10:37), the verb ‘to do’ is in present imperative. Present tense connotes a continuous repetitive action. It is like Jesus told the man “Do and
continue to do the same”.
Hence, in changing the verb ‘to do’ from aorist tense (one-time non-repetitive action) to present tense (continuous and repetitive action), Jesus is telling the man that actions for eternal life are not what to be done once and that’s it but what someone must continuously be doing as long as he is alive.
Hence, love to our neighbour is not what we do once and it is, but what we live to be continuously doing. Jesus therefore tells us today, ‘You have known what it means to be a neighbour. Go then and be doing the same’.
Fr. Henry Chukwuezugo Nnamah
Catholic Diocese of Aguleri, Nigeria.