Our Jericho Road - Homily Reflection - 15th Sunday OT

Our Jericho Road

“There once was a man who went down the Jericho Road.” LK 10:25-37

The road between Jerusalem and Jericho was a bad place. Those who traveled the road often experienced danger, violence, suffering, turmoil, and bloodshed. This road was trouble.  

It passes through the Valley of Darkness of the 23^rd Psalm. (Maura Sala, University of Rome, www.bibleodyssey.org) Another location, the Ascent of Blood is where the parable of the Good Samaritan takes place. (www.bible-history.com)

Jesus walked this road and knew these places. Part of the journey from Galilee to Jerusalem was by the Jericho road. Jesus and all who heard this parable knew the Jericho road.

Today, too many people know this road. Justice suffers and a person’s dignity is left dead on Jericho roads in the modern world. Like the original road, these are places of danger, violence, suffering, turmoil, and bloodshed.

This week is evidence that a Jericho road exists in our culture. A Jericho road built with angst, turmoil, and injustice. It is a Jericho road paved daily in violence and bloodshed. Our county’s politics and leaders fund this road in their divisiveness, elitism and condescension towards each other and towards us. Then the road is open to the robbers and bandits that are the anger and hate that has overtaken society.  

Then on top of that each of us traverse the Jericho road when we face the suffering of cancer, mental illness, addiction, or other diseases. On the Jericho road many walk in the Valley of Darkness.

Jericho roads exist because we don’t "Love God, with all your heart, all our being, all our strength, and all our mind, and love our neighbor." LK 10:25-37   We forget God and neighbor.

On TV, no one forgets the neighbor. Do you remember on “I Love Lucy,” Ricky and Lucy’s neighbors were Fred and Ethel. Do you remember on “Seinfeld,” Jerry’s neighbor was Kramer who always came bursting through the door. Do you remember on Home Improvement, Tim “the Toolman” Taylor’s neighbor was the man behind a fence - Wilson.

But in the real world even good people forget their neighbors. In the parable, a Priest and then a Levite came upon the man left for dead. They did as good people of that time were taught.

When I was a small boy walking on the road to school in Gorum, La, we didn’t have robbers or bandits, but, we had free range cattle and open grazing. Cattle gathered on the road and parking lot of the school at night. In the morning this proved a dangerous path to travel for an 8 year old boy. My mother told me, if you come upon a cow patty – leave it alone, don’t touch it, and don’t get close enough that the cow’s mess will jump on you. Stay clean for school.

I was to keep my mind on going to school and forget about being a little boy on a road full of cow patties.

The Priest and Levite were not necessarily bad people. They were just busy on the way of the Jericho road. They were taught leave it alone, don’t touch it, and don’t get close enough for that mess to jump on you. Stay clean for God.

They were to keep their mind on God; so, they forgot to care like God as they traveled the Jericho road.

In the world today, maybe we are doing what we think is right like the Priest and Levite.

Maybe, we are robbers full of anger and violence.

Most of us are the victims on the Jericho road.  

Too few of us are the Samaritan.

Be like the Samaritan, take time to care. We have to stop and take care of those who are hurt. Stepping around the cow patties doesn’t get them off the road. Get dirty, touch the problem, and get close enough so that all that mess jumps on us so we see the issues. Be like the Samaritan, live the gospel. Love God. Love your neighbor.

That is asking a lot for those on the Jericho road. In turmoil, fear, and anger we forget how to love; but, we can learn.

Love is possible in the one who traveled his own Jericho road. Love is possible in Christ. He is before all things and in him all things hold together… making peace by the blood of his cross…” COL 1:15-20

This is the answer the world needs.

By baptism, each of us is called to be the Good Samaritan, to share Christ’s love. He sends the Holy Spirit so that we can share his love, “It is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out." DT 30:10-14

“Who is my neighbor?”  Jesus said, “There once was a man who went down the Jericho Road.” LK 10:25-37

Y’all be good, y’all be holy, preach the gospel by the way you live and love. Amen.