The Good Samaritan

And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?" So he answered and said, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'" And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live."

But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Then Jesus answered and said, "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.' So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?" And he said, "He who showed mercy on him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

- Luke 10:25-37

In yesterday's reading, we read about the return of the seventy apostles. They rejoiced that even the demons were subject to them in Christ's name, and Jesus said that He saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. But they should rather rejoice, He said, not because of the power shared with them, but that their names are written in heaven. He rejoiced and thanked the Father: "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes." He then taught the Seventy: "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it."

And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?" So he answered and said, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'" And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live." This is Luke's rendering of Jesus' greatest commandments, the summing up of the Law and the Prophets. The question is a momentous one, and it comes in different forms throughout the Gospels: What shall I do to inherit eternal life?

But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Well, this is really a key, isn't it? Who is my neighbor? So much depends on our interpretation and understanding, our assumptions. Is it the one who thinks like me? Is it the one who is a part of my group, whatever that may be? In this case, this man is an expert in the law, and we are told that he is seeking to justify himself.

Then Jesus answered and said, "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side." The parable of the Good Samaritan is given to us only in Luke's Gospel. Luke, Evangelist to the Gentiles, who was himself a Gentile and a part of Paul's ministry, gives us a parable on the meaning of "neighbor." A priest and a Levite, of course, hold two important posts in the temple (the Levite would be an official helper in the temple). But they pass by on the other side. Who is their neighbor? There might be reasons for this passing by, to do with ritual purification; but the key is that they pass by on the other side and avoided the problem.

But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.' " The Samaritans, of course, were looked down upon and rather despised as a group by the Jews. Most commonly, they would not have been considered "neighbors." It's kind of like the priest and the Levite passing by "on the other side." Is what's on the other side not a "neighbor?" The oil and wine are certainly symbols of mercy and love, even commitment in some sense, as in wine at a wedding feast (and the wine at the Last Supper) -- "olive oil," in the Greek, sounds the same, in fact, as the word for mercy and so makes a poignant statement about the nature of mercy and healing. In this way, the earliest interpreters of the ancient Church saw in this parable an allegory to Christ in the Good Samaritan. But what we see in the parable is the loving care which is lavished on this stranger by another who is also a stranger in an important way. He is the stranger who is the outsider.

"So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?" And he said, "He who showed mercy on him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise." What is it to be a neighbor? Who is my neighbor? Is it to be on "the other side?" A stranger? What kind of proximity are we talking about? To be a neighbor, Jesus clearly says, is to show mercy. So "neighbor" in this case has little to do with physical proximity, and everything to do with our hearts. A neighbor is one who acts with mercy and compassion. To be a neighbor is to make a choice, we elect to be a neighbor or not. I think it's important to understand that if we wish to be considered a neighbor, then it depends on how we elect to be in this world, what we choose in our hearts. If we don't choose, then we fail to be that neighbor, the one who should be loved by those who follow the Law. It's like the teachings on forgiveness -- we seek forgiveness as we endeavor to practice it ourselves.

The greater lesson here, conveyed in the oil and the wine, is that we each carry love and mercy in our hearts. When we love God with all our heart and soul and strength and mind, then we seek to be kingdom bearers in the world. We seek to express God's love, and mercy and compassion. In this way we become "neighbors" and we qualify also to receive, the same as our practice of forgiveness even as we ask it for ourselves. It's like letting our light shine, being good disciples. Should we not seek to be "like God?" It all depends on what our real treasure is. So, a neighbor is not defined by proximity and space, not by similarity, nor belonging to a group, but by what he or she elects to be in their hearts, and to share with others. How do you bear the kingdom in the world? How are you a neighbor? Jesus clearly teaches us all, "Go and do likewise."