The Gospel reading from this week’s Lectionary from the Book of Common Prayer brings us a parable of Jesus that is familiar to many people: the parable of the Good Samaritan. Let’s look into this passage of Scripture and see if we can learn something new, something which the Lord might wish to teach us.
As our passage opens, a lawyer is asking Jesus some questions regarding the Jewish religious law (vs. 25-29). He is a self righteous man, and not genuinely asking questions with an open, honest heart. He only wished to stir up more controversy between Jesus, the Pharisees, and the religious leaders. They are discussing the two great laws in the Old Testament Scriptures, that of loving God with all one’s heart, soul, strength, and mind, and loving one’s neighbor. The lawyer then asks Jesus who constitutes his neighbor (vs. 29). The Pharisees felt that only people like themselves were their “neighbors”. Sinners (especially tax collectors and prostitutes), the Gentiles, and Samaritans were to be hated and avoided. The Pharisees had elevated hostility towards these people to where they felt it to be a virtue.
Jesus then answered him with a parable, a story meant to teach a spiritual lesson. A man is traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. The distance between the two cities is about 16 miles (25 km). However, in that short distance one descends over 3,300 ft. Jerusalem is at an elevation of 2,474 ft. above sea level, and Jericho is about 846 ft. below sea level. The road between the two cities was a rocky and winding one, and was notorious for having thieves hiding behind large rocks and bushes. One tried not to travel the road alone, but as we see, this fellow was, and he became a victim of an assault and robbery, and was left barely alive (vs. 30).
As Jesus continues, two people come by separately, first a priest and later a Levite, both members of the Jewish clergy (vs. 31-32). What luck! One would think and hope that of all people, a clergyman would stop and help. However, that was not the case. The priest barely gave the severely injured man a passing glance and hurried by. The Levite came a little bit closer to get a better look, and then likewise went on his way. Their fellow man was of no concern to them. They didn’t want to get dirty, or contaminated and unclean by someone else’s blood. They had other things to do and didn’t want to be delayed. They also didn’t want to put themselves at risk of being likewise attacked.
Then a little while later a Samaritan came by, and he decided to help the injured man (vs. 33-35). An important thing to note here is that the Jewish people hated and despised Samaritans. They looked on them as a mongrel race, as Samaritans were descended from Jews of the northern kingdom of Israel who intermarried with Gentiles. Both groups hated each other, so this wasn’t just some thoughtful person stopping to help another. It was not likely that any Samaritan would bother to help a Jew, and it was unthinkable for a Jew to want a Samaritan to even touch him!
This man’s own people, especially his own religious leaders would not stop to help him, yet here a Samaritan stopped to help, which would have been a risk to his own safety. He tended to the man’s injuries, cleansing the wounds and bandaging them. Then he lifted him onto his own donkey, walked beside him and held onto him so he wouldn’t fall off the animal. The Samaritan paid for a room in an inn, and sat up taking care of him that night. He then paid for additional nights, giving the innkeeper instructions to take further care of the man, promising to pay any extra that was spent. The Samaritan was the one, not the priest nor the Levite, who showed loving kindness like God does to us, and is what He wants us to show others.
We each have a responsibility to be a neighbor to everyone, especially to those in need. When we fail to do this, we often find it easy to justify ourselves, just as I’m sure the two religious leaders did. That is never right. In answer to the lawyer’s question to Jesus as to who is our neighbor - our neighbor is anyone, of any race or social background, who is in need. Love is acting to meet that person’s needs, showing them mercy, whether or not it’s convenient, safe, or costs us (vs. 37). Jesus’ closing statement is one we need to take note of today. He said to him, and to us, “Go and do likewise!”
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