On the Law in Our Hearts
July 13, 2025
Rev. Traceymay Kalvaitis
Deuteronomy 30:9-14
“…and the LORD your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all your undertakings, in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your soil. For the LORD will again take delight in prospering you, just as he delighted in prospering your ancestors, when you obey the LORD your God by observing his commandments and decrees that are written in this book of the law, because you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. “Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?’ No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe.”
Luke 10:25-37
An expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.” But wanting to vindicate himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and took off, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came upon him, and when he saw him he was moved with compassion. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, treating them with oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him, and when I come back I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
*** Today’s sermon is titled On the Law in Our Hearts.
These days I often bring my daughter’s dog to work with me; the dog’s name is Vivianne. She is a large poodle mix that could not be more mellow. Her top priority is to determine what it is she should be doing and then do it. I only have to look at her and point towards my car and she will go and sit by the back door, waiting for me to open it. We used to have another dog before I rehomed him. He was a small dog, about the size of a healthy, full-grown black and white cat. I named him Pono, which means “to do the right thing” in Hawaiian. I gave up hope that he would ever grow into his name. It was not unusual for Pono to come home in the police cruiser because, being such a small dog, he would quickly escape the confines of the house and take off like a shot to explore all of northwest Dublin. I could call him all I want, and even tempt him with his favorite treat, a little pinch of butter; but if he had it in his mind to run, he would look right at me and then turn around and hightail it out of the yard, running with his little ears back and grinning like nothing could be finer. Living with that little rascal of a dog was a daily reminder that the difference between knowing what needs to be done and actually doing it can be enormous.
In our story from the scriptures today, Jesus is pointing out the same discrepancy between knowing what to do and actually doing it. Jesus is questioned by a lawyer, a scribe, an expert in Jewish law. In all likelihood, this scribe was wearing the traditional tefillin, one on his left arm, facing his heart and one on his forehead. Within these small wooden boxes were written four pieces of scripture, two from Exodus and two from Deuteronomy. All four scriptures share common themes with the one from Deuteronomy 6, that reads: “Love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” To transcribe the scriptures, over 1500 Hebrew letters were used and each had to be formed perfectly, in miniature, on parchment and then carefully folded and sealed within the wooden tefillin. This was the heart of the law sealed within and worn as constant reminders. Jesus would have been raised with this practice; perhaps he even wore them in his youth.
At this point in Jesus’s ministry, where we find him today, he is being tested by the powers that be. The scribes and the priests were largely convinced that Jesus was a threat to the traditional order of things because Jesus’s emphasis was on living the law, not just knowing it, not just wearing it; Jesus was calling people to live into the law, and the law centered around love, primarily the love of God and also, from ancient Hebrew scriptures in the book of Leviticus, is the command to love your neighbor.
Jesus is not seeing that the Hebrew people, especially those in positions of power, are living out these commands. Jesus is witnessing the continued oppression of the poor. Jesus is witnessing a growing division between Jew and non-Jew. Jesus is witnessing the growing wealth and status
and privilege of the priests and the officials in government while the masses are overtaxed and underfed. So when asked by the scribe, one of the elite, about how to achieve eternal life, I imagine that Jesus might have gestured to the tefillin on the man’s arm and forehead as he said, “Do this and you will live.”
Then Jesus offers the familiar parable about the good Samaritan, just to drive his point home. The good Samaritan is living into the law as he stops to help the stranger. The Jewish priest knows the law, and the Levite from the tribe of Levi would have also been trained in the law; they both knew the law inside and out but they did not stop to help. What good is knowledge without applying it? We must act. Again, the words of Jesus echo. “Do this and you will live.”
Naturally, I have been thinking a great deal this week about what makes for a good life…what makes for a great life, even. Freedom is near the top of the list, along with love, security, generosity and mutual concern. Freedom these days is commonly confused with license. We are free to speak and act, but if our words and deeds bring harm to others, we are not exercising freedom, we are taking license.
To create and maintain a free and safe society, we need more than rights and laws. To create and maintain a free and safe society we need morals, ideals, and standards that we support by how we live and by how we encourage others to do the same. Frederich Buechner writes, “Your life and my life flow into each other as wave flows into wave, and unless there is peace and joy and freedom for you, there can be no real peace or joy or freedom for me. To see reality-not as we expect it to be but as it is-is to see that unless we live for each other and in and through each other, we do not really live very satisfactorily; that there can really be life only where there…is also love.”*
What is it that gives our lives the greatest depth of meaning? I believe it is our sincere concern for one another. A lack of concern for others is equivalent to a lack of full living. The converse is also true, and this can be easily overlooked. If we are living under the illusion of self-sufficiency and independence to the point that we do not or can not receive the concern of others who are genuinely interested in our well-being, then we are not fully engaged in this life experience; we are missing out. Genuine concern and assistance can come to us from unexpected places and from unexpected people. This is an aspect of Jesus’s parable that I had never before realized. We almost always look at the parable focused mainly on who helps the man and who ignores his need. But what about the man who is in need? Would he not expect a priest to help him? Would he not expect one trained in the Law, the Levite, to stop and help him? Would he expect a Samaritan to stop and help? Probably not. When we are in need, truly in need, we are not likely to be judgmental about the person who is most equipped to help us. We are not stopping the firefighter to ask where they are from or what religion they practice, or who they voted for in the last election. We are grateful for their presence, grateful for their help.
That gratitude cuts across all boundaries of division we manufacture when we pass judgment about one another.
Before we close, let’s circle back to the two questions Jesus was asked by the scribe: “What must I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus gives the answer in a parable, with the message: exercise a genuine concern for the other and graciously receive the genuine concern from the other. Love your neighbor and be loved by your neighbor. Through engaging in life at this deep level of reciprocity, we nurture our soul, the everlasting part of ourselves. Then the second question: Who is my neighbor? The answer: everyone, even the one you least expect. This is the ancient law, Friends, and it could not be more relevant in this moment.
I will close with the reminder from Moses we heard today from the book of Deuteronomy. “Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?’ No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe.”
So be it. Amen.
*https://www.frederickbuechner.com/weeklysermonillustrations/2016/9/6/waves
Pastoral Prayer
Gracious God, source of balance, draw us in by your Spirit of peace, your Spirit of love and your unconditional acceptance. For when we feel accepted, loved, and at peace, our fullness can overflow into the lives of others and we can function as your body, hands that can spread your goodness through a hand-written note, or a gift of money or goods for a charity. In our fullness, our words are not self-serving and self-aggrandizing, in our fullness, our words become messages of encouragement and edification as you speak through us. In our fullness, our minds can think beyond ourselves and offer mental energy to the plethora of issues that plague our larger world family. Help us, Lord, to care for ourselves in healthy ways that fill us, whatever those ways may be. We thank you for the gift of our bodies, our minds, and our spirits. In ways we are suffering, guide us to access strength greater than our own. This we pray in Christ’s name. Amen.
Benediction
I leave you with these words from Second Thessalonians, chapter 3: “May the Lord of Peace himself give you everlasting peace in every place.”