But a Samaritan traveller, who came upon the injured man, was moved with compassion when he saw him. He went up and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. (Parable of the Good Samaritan) Luke 10: 25-37
Today’s parable of the Good Samaritan from Luke’s Gospel is a story with which we are all very familiar. Its surprise twist of true mercy and compassion being demonstrated by the least likely character in the story is an unmistakable lesson in what the great Commandment of love of God expressed through love of neighbour is all about. The parable is a powerful illustration of the enormous responsibility Jesus has given us to put love of neighbour as a top priority. While Jesus shaped his story to single out the Samaritan as its true hero, he was also reluctant to allow the lawyer to escape without criticism. In fact, the parable holds up the conduct of the lawyer as a mirror into which we are all asked to look.
In his exchange with Jesus, the lawyer demonstrated that, despite his knowledge of the letter of the Law, he really did not understand the answer he had quoted from the Torah, the embodiment of the Mosaic Law. By putting to Jesus the question “Who is my neighbour?”, the lawyer was effectively asking Jesus to define who was included in the category of “neighbour” and who was not. He was asking Jesus to state just how far one might be expected to go when it came to loving others with all one’s heart and mind and strength. He had failed to understand that the intent of the Torah, the Law that the Jewish people reverenced, was to bring God’s chosen people closer to God and to one another. Nobody was to be excluded from the category of “neighbour”.
When we look closely at the compassionate and merciful conduct of the Samaritan in the parable, it is clear that Jesus understood him to be a man who had been able to see the man on the roadside in need of help as a fellow human being made in the likeness of God.
Yet, the Lawyer was unable to separate himself from the bitter animosity that had long existed between Jews and Samaritans. Feelings between them ran so high, that the Lawyer could not even bring himself to allow the word “Samaritan” to come out of his mouth. He could only describe the hero of the parable as “The man who took pity on him.”
Moreover, the Lawyer’s attitude from the outset was about self-interest: “Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He didn’t understand that God’s love in not earned. It is offered to humanity freely and limitedlessly. I suspect that there are still lots of Christians in our day and age who still believe that they have to earn God’s favour and approval or build up a heavenly account that will give them entrance into eternal life. What does that say about their image of God?
While this parable holds up to us the Samaritan whose mercy and compassion are worthy of imitation, we notice that Jesus did not condemn any of the characters in the story. He simply noted their behaviour and left his audience (including us) to reflect on the moral issues and attitudes underlying the behaviour and decisions described in the story he told.
The priest was careful to avoid what he saw as a dead body on the roadside. Had he gone close, he risked being contaminated and thereby being excluded, by Law, from ministering to his people. The Levite, who was lower down the authority chain than the priest, was reluctant to do anything contrary to the behaviour of higher authority. The Samaritan already knew that, in the eyes of Jews, he was of no more value than what looked like a discarded corpse. He belonged to a world in which he was regarded by the dominant culture as filthy and untouchable. Whether he went near the body he saw or not was totally irrelevant. The Lawyer’s understanding of the Great Commandment was that the only people who might qualify as neighbours were Jews.
By the way in which he shaped his parable, Jesus raised moral issues that have confronted people down through every age and culture, and continue to confront and challenge us. What prejudices, for example, continue to contaminate my life and relationships? Do we dare name corruption we discover in our places of work? Are there times when our conscience tells us that compassion and mercy call us to set aside the letter of law? Do we invariably bow to authority instead of being a voice for truth and justice? This parable challenges us to reflect on real life issues such as these. When all is said and done, there is often more said than done. Love of neighbour is ultimately about love in action. So, I conclude with a story:
A 14-year-old girl, in a fit of anger, had run away from her family in Cleveland to New York. Cold, hungry and friendless, she stood, shivering, on a city street corner when a cab stopped nearby. As a group of partygoers stepped out, a man among them noticed the girl and asked her if she needed help. Not waiting for an answer, he insisted that she join the group for dinner. Over the meal, she told him her story. As soon as the meal ended, the man took the girl to the railway station and bought her a ticket back to Cleveland. As he put her on the train, he gave her $20 and handed her a card with his address and phone number, adding: “If ever you need anything, don’t hesitate to contact me.” The youngster was reconciled with her family and went on to graduate from high school. However, she often thought of the man who had helped her, and wanted to write and thank him. However, she couldn’t find the card with his address. She went on to College, graduated with a medical degree, became a surgeon, married another doctor and had two children. When her daughter was in primary school, the girl came home from school asking her mother for some old clothes for the school play. As mother and daughter rummaged through boxes of discarded books and clothes, a card fell out of an old diary. It was the lost card from all those years before. After lots of inquiries, the mother eventually located the man who had rescued her and sent her back home. Twenty-five years after their first meeting, a good Samaritan by the name of Ralph Burke received a letter and a cheque for $300. The writer asked that he accept it in the spirit in which it was sent. “This is not to repay a kindness that was priceless. Rather, I hope it will pay your way to come and visit me and my family”. Ralph Burke accepted the invitation and now has four more dear friends.