Who is my neighbor?

 

 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 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 

 

Yesterday we read that the seventy apostles Christ appointed returned with joy from their mission, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."  And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."  In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "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.  Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."  Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, "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 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."   In St. Matthew's Gospel, Jesus is asked, "What is the greatest commandment in the Law?"  He responds with a teaching of these two commandments spoken here in today's reading, adding that on these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets (see Matthew 22:36-40).  In today's reading, Jesus says, "Do this and you will live."  See also Ezekiel 18:19-32 from today's reading for another context to Christ's words, "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."  My study Bible explains here that Jerusalem is the place of peace, symbolic of communion with God.  Jericho, on the other hand, was notorious as a place of sin (see Luke 19:1).  To fall among thieves, it says, speaks to the natural consequences of journeying away from God toward a life of sin (see John 10:10).  

 

"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."  My study Bible comments that titles and positions are meaningless in God's sight when good deeds do not accompany them.   It cites St. Cyril of Alexandria, who writes, "The dignity of the priesthood means nothing unless he also excels in deeds."  Moreover, that the priest and the Levite do not help the man also indicates the failure of the Old Testament Law to heal the consequences of sin.

 

 "But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was.  And when he saw him, he had compassion."  My study Bible notes that this Samaritan is a despised foreigner, and at the same time in this story he is an image of Christ (John 8:48), for Christ "came down from heaven" (the Creed) to save even those in rebellion against Him.  

 

"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."  My study Bible comments that the bandages, oil, and wine are sacramental images.  The bandages suggest the garment of baptism, which delivers us from the wounds of sin.  The oil stands in for the oil of chrismation, which gives us new life in the Holy Spirit.  The wine tells us of the communion of Christ's divine Blood, which leads to eternal life.  That the Samaritan set the man on his own animal suggests Christ who bears our sins in His own body.  Finally, the inn is the Church in which Christ's care is received.  Jesus Himself pays the price for that care (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23).  

 

Today's lectionary reading (as indicated in commentary above) also includes a passage from Ezekiel in which God expresses the ways in which people shall live and not die; each is responsible for his or her own sins; if a sinful person turns to righteousness they shall live -- and if a righteous person turns to sin he or she will not (Ezekiel 18:1-4; 19-32).  Today Jesus gives us the two commandments on which "hang all the Law and the Prophets," which are found at Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18.  The lawyer, then, asks what might be considered a clever question, "And who is my neighbor?"  Jesus' answer is to tell the parable of the Good Samaritan, in which we come to understand that to be a neighbor is to practice something, to do something -- and that is to live a life following Christ, one of compassion.    In the Epistle of St. James, he writes extensively about faith and works, and how they go hand in hand (see James 2:14-26).  There should not be one without the other; neither can save alone.  When he writes that "faith without works is dead" (James 2:26), he is telling us that we need to live our faith, not simply believe but fail to practice what our faith teaches.  Jesus expresses the same when He points to His spiritual family of mother and brothers:  "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."  (See this reading.)   The story of the Good Samaritan in today's reading is an even more explicit and frankly, brilliant, illustration of what it means to live our faith, for it not only touches on the active compassion of the Samaritan, but it even tells us that what it means to be a neighbor is similar to what it takes to be mother or brother or sister to Christ.  It means living our faith, hearing and doing.  Not either one alone, but both, together.  Hearing the word, and doing it; receiving it into our hearts, and living it.  This is where Christ asks us to be in our lives, a living embodiment of the word He teaches, which He receives from the Father.  So much so, that we not only become faithful, but we become a neighbor.  Jesus tells the lawyer, "Go and do likewise."  Let us note that the Samaritan in our parable shows compassion to one who fell among thieves, who strays and is hurt on the wrong path in life.  So should we understand what it is to help those in need of our help, and welcome them back to the inn of our Lord.  For today's parable not only teaches us about being a neighbor, but also that the nature of our Church is to be a hospital, caring for those who need its compassion and active love.  Perhaps it is here we should note that this beautiful parable is found only in the Gospel of St. Luke, who is known also to us in the Church as the "beloved physician."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And who is my neighbor?

 

 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 

 

Yesterday we read that the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."  And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."  In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "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.  Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."  Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, "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."  But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"  Here, Jesus gives two commandments in the Law, in response to the question from this lawyer, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  Jesus invites the lawyer to respond as to how he would answer according to what is written in the law.  The lawyer quotes from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18; to which Jesus replies that he has answered rightly.  (Elsewhere, Jesus quotes these two Scripture passages and ties them together Himself when He's quizzed as to which is the greatest commandment in the Law; see Matthew 22:36-40.)  But, the text tells us, the lawyer wanted to justify himself, and so asks another question, "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."  My study Bible tells us that Jerusalem is the place of peace, symbolic of communion with God.  Jericho, by contrast, was known as a place of sin (see Luke 19:1).  To fall among thieves speaks to the natural consequence of journeying away from God toward a life of sin (see John 10:10).  

"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."  My study Bible notes here that titles and positions are meaningless in the sight of God when good deeds do not accompany them.  It quotes from the commentary of St. Cyril of Alexandria:  "The dignity of the priesthood means nothing unless he also excels in deeds."  That it is a priest and a Levite who do not help the man is also an indication of the failure of the Old Testament Law to heal the consequences of sin.   

"But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was.  And when he saw him, he had compassion."  The Samaritan is a despised foreigner, but He is an image of Christ (John 8:48), as He "came down from heaven" (Creed) in order to save even those in rebellion against Him.

"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."   My study Bible explains that the bandages, oil, and wine are sacramental images for first, the garment of baptism, which delivers us from the wounds of sin; second, the oil of chrismation, which gives us new life in the Holy Spirit; and finally, the communion of the divine Blood, which leads to eternal life.  That the Samaritan used his own animal to bear the injured man is an indication of Christ bearing our sins in His own body; the inn reveals the Church in which the care of Christ is received.  He pays the price for that care (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23).  

The parable of the Good Samaritan is a parable only found in Luke's Gospel.  What we first might notice about it is the grace of Jesus in responding to the lawyer who quizzes Him.  Jesus first asks the lawyer what his own reading of the Law is.  Then when the lawyer answers rightly, Jesus tells him so; to follow these two "greatest commandments" is to find eternal life:  "Do this and you will live," Jesus says.  So there is, first of all, great grace at work in Christ's response, and even toward the Law and the rewards it one may truly follow these commandments.   Keep in mind He speaks to a lawyer (likely a scribe) and their allies, the Pharisees, like Jesus, did believe in resurrection.  Jesus uses what we might call a Socratic method in His dialogue; He asks the lawyer questions designed to lead to the correct answer.  But then the lawyer wants to take this another step further, and he asks a provocative question himself, "And who is my neighbor?" referring to the second commandment quoted, to love one's neighbor as oneself.  In response to this question, Jesus tells the parable.  Jesus' method is still one that is very gracious, for He also ends with a question to the lawyer, effectively making His point:  "So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"  The lawyer's only option is to state the obvious; the one who "was neighbor" to the man attacked by thieves was the Samaritan.  In the telling of this story, Jesus illuminates the limitations of the Law, for perhaps the priest and the Levite are strictly observing other rules here, regarding coming into contact with blood, or the body of one who might be dead.  It reminds us of Jesus' repeated complaints against the legalism of the Pharisees, that they paid more attention to the letter of the law rather than the spirit of the law.  In Matthew chapter 23, in His great critique of the Pharisees and scribes, Jesus will say, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone" (Matthew 23:23).  It is explicitly made clear that the only true "neighbor" in the story is the Samaritan, because he is the one who showed mercy.  So grace and gracious behavior become lauded all around, both in the behavior of Jesus and in the behavior of the Samaritan, who is a neighbor precisely because he showed mercy on the injured man.  Jesus further shows that in the faith He brings into the world, there are no limits on who a neighbor might be in terms of sect or group; indeed, to be a neighbor is to act as one, and here Jesus places all the definition of the term on the initiative and act of one who shows mercy.  Another aspect of this parable is illuminated in patristic commentary regarding the "going down to Jericho" of the injured man.  This is seen by some as parallel to Adam who sinned and so was cast down out of Paradise.  St. Ambrose writes of this that it was Adam's "change not of place but of conduct made the exile of his nature."  From eternal blessedness, Adam fell among the thieves, so to speak, the influences of the evil one who attacks and torments one stripped of spiritual grace.  So we may see this as our world, in which we need the spiritual care of Christ to tend to our own wounds and healing, and the protective garments of grace.  Christ's emphasis on being a neighbor in the same way He became neighbor to us in the Incarnation is the way to truly fulfill the life-saving command, and return to true life in Paradise.  Over and over throughout the Gospels, Jesus emphasizes that to receive mercy one must practice mercy.  In the Sermon on the Mount, He says, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy" (Matthew 5:7).  Psalm 18:25 addresses the Lord this way:  "With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; with a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless."  St. James writes, "For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment" (James 2:13).  Let us live the commandment as He teaches us, and so find our way to the life He offers.

 

 

 

 

And who is my neighbor?

 

 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 

 

Yesterday we read that the Seventy returned from their first apostolic mission with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."  And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."  In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "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.  Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."  Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, "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."  But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"  It's quite interesting that this passage comes directly after the return of the Seventy, and particularly directly after Jesus praised God the Father because wisdom has been revealed to "babes," while "prophets and kings" had desired to see and hear what they have seen and heard, and did not (see above, the final verse in yesterday's reading).  Here, immediately following that pronouncement by Jesus, a lawyer -- that is, one who is expert in the Mosaic Law -- stood up and tested Jesus.  Jesus replies with a question of the expert, and invites him to answer his own question.  Hearing the response, Jesus approves; he has answered correctly, coupling two commandments together.  The first is what is known as the Shema (after the first word in Deuteronomy 6:4), the great confession of faith of the Jews.  The actual command the lawyer quotes is Deuteronomy 6:5 (see Deuteronomy 6:4-5).  We can read the second command in Leviticus 19:18.  These commands, coupled together, are also given by Jesus in Matthew 22:35-40, Mark 12:28-34.  But here in Luke, there is a unique twist, as the lawyer asks another question:  "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."  Jesus responds with the parable of the Good Samaritan, found exclusively in the Gospel of Luke.  Here the setting is the road from Jerusalem to Jericho.  My study Bible explains that Jerusalem is the place of peace, symbolic of communion with God.  Jericho, on the contrary, was renowned as a place of sin (see Luke 19:1).  To fall among thieves, my study Bible explains, speaks to the natural consequence of journeying away from God toward a life of sin (see John 10:10).  

"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."  My study Bible comments that titles and positions are meaningless in God's sight when good deeds do not accompany them. It quotes St. Cyril of Alexandria:  "The dignity of the priesthood means nothing unless he also excels in deeds."  That the priest and the Levite do not help the man is also an indication of the failure of the Old Testament Law to heal the consequences of sin.

 

"But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was.  And when he saw him, he had compassion."  My study Bible notes that this Samaritan is a despised foreigner for the Jews, but he is an image of Christ (John 8:48), for Christ "came down from heaven" (Creed) to save even those who were in rebellion against Him. 

 

"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."  My study Bible suggests that the bandages, oil, and wine are sacramental images.  The bandages suggest the garment of baptism, which delivers us from the wounds of sin.  The oil reminds us of the oil of chrismation, which gives us new life in the Holy Spirit.  The wine gives us an image of the communion of the divine Blood, which leads to eternal life.  His own animal, my study Bible adds, indicates Christ bearing our sins in His own body, and the inn reveals the Church in which Christ's care is received.  He pays the price for that care (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23).   

At the conclusion of today's reading, Jesus asks the lawyer, "So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"  The lawyer replies, "He who showed mercy on him."  So Jesus teaches, "Go and do likewise."  If we consider my study Bible's note that to bear the man upon his own animal reminds us of Christ, who bears our sins in His own body, with the inn as a stand-in for the Church, then what we must see in this teaching is one in which we are taught to be "like God" (or like Christ) by being a true neighbor, by showing mercy, by having compassion.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches, "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48).  To be a true neighbor is to be "like God," like Christ.  In this sense, it is an image of perfection drawn from daily life, from the possibilities we as human beings can embody in life.  It's also significant that the inn symbolizes the Church, because it is the place where Christ's care is received.  The Church in its history has frequently been likened to a hospital, for it is where we are to receive care for our wounds and illnesses.  In this context, sin is also seen as a type of illness, a way of being "less than" the perfection Christ describes in the Sermon on the Mount, when we're asked to be "perfect, like your Father in heaven is perfect."  If we see ourselves as in need of care and healing, we might come to terms with our own shortcomings in a much better sense than one in which shame keeps us from coming forward to acknowledge what needs repair and change in us.  Repentance, in this perspective, becomes a kind of medicine, a surgery, a way to begin to address a problem and acknowledge it.  It is said that the only unforgivable sin is one not repented; therefore this medicine for our imperfections and ailments is powerful indeed!  But everything begins with the quality of mercy, and the compassion exemplified in the Good Samaritan.  This is what makes him a neighbor.  Jesus commands the lawyer, "Go and do likewise."  So, we must conclude, are we commanded to act as neighbors.  For this is God's way, the quality Christ asks of us over and over again, and which we will answer for (Matthew 24:31-46).

 

 

 

But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion

 

 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 

 

Yesterday we read that the seventy returned from their first apostolic mission with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."  And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."  In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "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.  Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."  Then He turned to his disciples and said privately, "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."  The lawyer quotes from Deuteronomy 6:5, and Leviticus 19:18.  In Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus gives these two commandments as the answer to a question from a scribe, "Which is the great commandment in the law?" 

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."   As Jesus begins the parable of the Good Samaritan, my study Bible explains the setting of this road from Jerusalem to Jericho.  Jerusalem, it says, is the place of peace, symbolic of communion with God.  Jericho, on the other hand, was renowned as a place of sin (see Luke 19:1).  To fall among thieves, it says, speaks to the natural consequences of journeying away from God towards a life of sin (see John 10:10).  

"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."  My study Bible comments that titles and positions are meaningless in God's sight when good deeds do not accompany them.  St. Cyril of Alexandria is quoted, who writes, "The dignity of the priesthood means nothing unless he also excels in deeds."  Moreover, that the priest and the Levite do not help the man  indicates the failure of the Old Testament Law to heal the consequences of sin.   

 

"But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was.  And when he saw him, he had compassion."  The Samaritan is a despised foreign, but he is nevertheless an image of Christ (John 8:48).  My study Bible says this is so, because He "came down from heaven" (Creed) to save even those in rebellion against Him.  

 

"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 bandages, oil, and wine are sacramental images.  My study Bible explains them as first, images of the garment of baptism, which delivers us from the wound of sin.  Second, the oil of chrismation, which gives us new life in the Holy Spirit.  And finally, the communion of the divine Blood, which leads to eternal life.  His own animal indicates Christ bearing our sins in His own body, and the inn resembles the Church in which Christ's care is received.  Christ pays the price for this care (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23). 

"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."  Jesus' advice, of course, is given to all of us.  

The story (or parable) of the Good Samaritan gives us an image not just of our own lives in this world, but, as my study Bible has pointed out, an image of Jesus Christ -- who offers us the baptismal garment, the sacred oil of chrismation, and the church.  Just one aspect of this understanding is the Church as a hospital, a place of healing, a place where our sins may be taken and cared for, their blight on ourselves healed and made well, the healing oil of grace poured upon us to help us to new growth and wholeness, and a place where we are cared for and can rest from the troubles of the world, a space for our deepest needs to be addressed.  But above all this, overarching the story, is the power of mercy, which Christ elucidates as an answer from the lawyer.  And here is where we have the strongest resemblance to Christ and the life He lived.   Jesus asks the lawyer, "So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"  And the lawyer replies, "He who showed mercy on him." As my study Bible pointed out, it is Christ who first shows mercy to us, making His own absolute sacrifice on the Cross even for those in rebellion against Him.  Christ's taking on the burdens of the evil in the world through His Passion is an act whereby He transfigures affliction, as He is innocent, holy, and most important of all, His human choices are loyalty and love to God the Father.  It is, after all, love through which all of this works.  This is not a harsh command given for payment by a demanding God, but rather a way to undo the sins of the world in One who through His act will stand the sinful world on its head through an act of love.  For the powerful witness of the One who is ultimately holy, innocent, and sinless becomes indictment and judgment against the evil and injustice that afflicts the world.  In the Revelation, Christ is called the "faithful witness" (Revelation 1:5), and the "Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God" (Revelation 3:14), and of course this is followed by numerous references to the witnesses who will follow in faith.  We will not be able to see this act of love for what it is unless we understand that there is a spiritual court, a spiritual judgment that is at work and will ultimately manifest at the end of the age.  But the truth is that we who are taught to "Go and do likewise" also participate as witnesses in this spiritual court, in the same way that we are taught to follow Christ and take up our own crosses daily (Luke 9:23).  The very word "martyr" means "witness" in Greek, and so we have in the testimony of the ancient Church this understanding built into our faith.  In his Letter to the Romans, St. Paul quotes from Proverbs, writing, "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head" (see Romans 12:19-20, Proverbs 25:21-22).  Couching it in a quote from Deuteronomy 32:35, "'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord," St. Paul makes clear that this is a teaching about the way of Christ, the power of God that comes through the practice of mercy, and enacted through Christ's Passion, the way of the Cross.  To "go and do likewise," to show mercy, in the eyes of the worldly, may seem a powerless meekness.  But it is akin to Christ's instructions to the Seventy, that they should give a blessing of peace to each house they enter, "and if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you" (Luke 10:6).  But to offer mercy in the name of Christ, as a follower, is to take confidence that this is not simply a good teaching for how to live in the world, but a part of witnessing, something that goes beyond the merely worldly, the things we see only with physical ears and eyes.  This is a teaching for the establishment of a Kingdom, for the age in which sin and righteousness and judgment are all being tested, witnessed to, and made clear (John 16:8-11).   We understand it as a way to follow Him in taking up our cross daily, for in His Passion on the Cross we know the truth that "we love because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19).  Let us go and do likewise, remembering what manner of spirit we are of (Luke 9:55).

Go and do likewise

 

 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 

 

Yesterday we read that the seventy apostles returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."  And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."  In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "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.  Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."  Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, "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."   Elsewhere in the Gospels, Jesus is asked which is the greatest commandment; and He answers with these two commandments named in this passage by the lawyer who tested Him (see Matthew 22:35-40, Mark 12:28-34).  These commandments are found in the Old Testament Scriptures at Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18.  Here in Luke's Gospel, Jesus turns the question back to the lawyer.  Possibly it is a form of Socratic dialogue.  We notice first that Jesus compliments the lawyer that he has answered correctly.  

But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" This answer is not enough for the lawyer, for he wants to justify himself.  The parable of the Good Samaritan is Jesus' response.  This parable is only found in Luke's Gospel.

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."  My study bible comments here that Jerusalem is the place of peace (its name means "city of peace").  It is symbolic of communion with God.  But Jericho, on the other hand, was renowned as a place of sin (see Luke 19:1).  To fall among thieves, my study bible says, speaks to the natural consequence of journeying away from God toward a life of sin (John 10:10).  

"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."  My study bible says that titles and positions are meaningless in God's sight when good deeds do not accompany them.  It quotes St. Cyril of Alexandria:  "The dignity of the priesthood means nothing unless he also excels in deeds."  That the priest and the Levite do not help the man also indicates the failure of the Old Testament Law to heal the consequences of sin.

"But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was.  And when he saw him, he had compassion."  The Samaritan is a despised foreigner.   But he is an image of Christ (John 8:48), as he had compassion.  My study bible quotes from the Creed regarding the identity of the Samaritan with Christ:  He "came down from heaven" to save even those in rebellion against Him.

"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.' "  My study bible points out that the bandages, oil, and wine are sacramental images.  The bandages resemble the garment of baptism, which delivers us from the wounds of sin.  The oil of chrismation gives us new life in the Holy Spirit.  The communion of the divine Blood leads to eternal life.  That the Samaritan set the man on his own animal reminds us that Christ bore our sins in His own body.  The inn reveals the Church in which Christ's care is received.  Finally the Samaritan, like Christ, pays the price for that care (1 Corinthians 6:20, 7:23).  

"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."  Jesus once again turns the question back to the lawyer, who again answers correctly.  And Christ's own command for all of us is, "Go and do likewise."  To be a neighbor is to live the commandment, to do likewise, to show mercy.

It's interesting to take a close look at the commandments quoted by the lawyer, and approved of by Christ.  The first is straightforward:  "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind."  But the second has an additional nuance.  Here is the New King James Version of Leviticus 19:18:  "You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord."  The injunction against vengeance is important; it is the expression of forgiveness of debt, spiritual and otherwise.  In the Lord's Prayer, we pray, "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" (Matthew 6:12).  It is meant within this same framework, against revenge (especially spiritual debts, sin).  But Jesus takes these commands, and true to His own statement that He has come not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17-18), He takes the Law -- in these commandments -- to its fullest expression, by teaching us to be neighbors.  This makes the Law not simply about the "children of your people" in the sense of blood or other earthly kinship, but "your people" in a spiritual sense.  It also takes the commandment and expands it to mean that to be a neighbor is to actively express compassion, mercy.  Let us keep in mind that we can also practice mercy and compassion for others through prayer, even when there is nothing else we can do for a person.  There is another aspect to this parable of the Good Samaritan that is important for us to understand, and it applies symbolically throughout the New Testament.  The ancient world used olive oil as the basis for all kinds of things, including healing ointments.  Here, when the Samaritan bandaged the hurt man's wounds with oil and wine, the word for oil in Greek is ἔλαιον/elaion.  But this word is pronounced alike to the one that means mercy, ἔλεος/eleios.  Where we read about oil (such as in the lamps of the young women in the parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, found at Matthew 25:1-13), we can infer this as symbolism for mercy and grace.  This is also reflected in the oil of chrismation in our sacraments.  Jesus invites us to understand what it means "to be" and how that is related to what we "do."  Just as "children of Abraham" are not simply those who are physical descendants, but rather those who are "like Abraham" in doing the works Abraham did (John 8:39), so what it means to be a neighbor is reflected in the practice of living "like a neighbor" and doing the works which reflect that.  As disciples of Christ, it is important to consider and to work out what these things mean for ourselves.  To live as a Christian person is to practice mercy, but this is far away from a type of morality that confers formulaic answers for everything, or universal prescriptions.  The Good Samaritan's compassion comes from his heart, and in our case, it is meant to be a product also of our love of Christ.  It is in Christ that we are made into children by adoption (or "sons" and therefore heirs) of God; in mercy we become neighbors.  No one is being asked to risk life or injury around an abusive person.  But we are asked to "let go" of debts, giving them to God, and to practice mercy where we see a need, and as we seek to live prayerful lives.  Our peace is in our covenant with God, seeking God's will and doing it ("Your kingdom come.  Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" - Luke 11:2).  Let us go and do likewise. 

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

 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 our 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

Yesterday we read that, after being sent out on their first mission, the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."  And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."  In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "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.  Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."  Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, "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."  But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"  A lawyer is an expert in the Mosaic Law and the traditional practices built up around it, likely a scribe, but here in this passage the emphasis on an understanding of the religious law is important.  Jesus, as He so often does, turns the question back on the one who asks.  The lawyer gives the same answer Jesus Himself gives elsewhere (see Matthew 22:37-40), quoting from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18.  The lawyer then takes his turn to ask Christ yet again another question -- and this one goes to the heart of the matter.  How does one interpret neighbor?  Perhaps, in seeking to justify himself, the lawyer is considering what that truly means for himself, and this is an honest question, for Christ gives him an honest answer designed to help him think about the question.  The parable of the Good Samaritan that follows, we should note, is found only in Luke.

"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."  Throughout the history of the Church, the patristic writers have viewed this parable as allegorical to the Church itself.  Jerusalem is understood as a place of peace, which is symbolic of communion with God.  But Jericho, by contrast, was renowned as a place of sin (see 19:1).   To fall among thieves, my study bible says, speaks to the natural consequence of journeying away from God toward a life of sin (see John 10:10).  In a certain sense, this journey is through a "valley of the shadow of death," as Psalm 23 reads.  Jericho, therefore, as understood by St. Ambrose of Milan, is an image of the world through which we all pass.

"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."  My study bible comments here that titles and positions are meaningless in the sight of God when good deeds don't accompany them.  Cyril of Alexandria writes, "The dignity of the priesthood means nothing unless he also excels in deeds."  That the priest and the Levite do not help the man also indicates the failure of the Old Testament Law to heal the consequences of sin. 

"But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was.  And when he saw him, he had compassion."  The Samaritan is a despised foreigner from a region between Judea and Galilee, whose doctrines and beliefs retain many of the same bases of the faith of the Jews, but differ in certain points of contention.   He is an image of Christ (John 8:48), as He "came down from heaven" (Creed) to save even those in rebellion against Him.

"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 our 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.'"   Bandages, oil, and wine are sacramental images, my study bible comments.  Bandages give us the image of the garment of baptism, which delivers us from the wounds of sin.  The oil of chrismation gives us new life in the Holy Spirit.  The communion of divine blood, as figured in the wine, leads to eternal life, the basis of the lawyer's question in the first place.  That the Samaritan set him on his own animal, it says, indicates Christ bearing our sins in His own body.  The inn reveals the Church in which Christ's care is received.  Jesus pays the price for that care (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23).   When Christ comes again, at the judgment of the righteous, those who practice mercy and compassion ("take care") will be repaid.

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."  Christ's words are for all of us, but in particular those in the Church who seek to be His followers.

If we read the complete law which teaches to love one's neighbor as oneself (Leviticus 19:18), it begins with the admonition, "You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people . . .."  The emphasis here is on refraining from vengeance, and from a cherished anger or hatred, enmity.   Certainly between the Samaritans and the Jews such enmity existed, and so the image of the Samaritan is important to the story.   It is the Samaritan who, through his actions and choices, redeems relationship, and chooses to be neighbor by showing mercy on the one hurt by the thieves.  If we view this parable as it has been historically seen by Church Fathers, especially in the early centuries of the Church, we see the redemption of Christ's mercy at work, which seeks to teach that all are neighbors of one another, but that this can only exist through faith in the work of Christ and the redemptive power of the gospel and the gifts given to us for unity in the love of God, such as baptism, the Eucharist, the gift of the Holy Spirit -- all of which enable and activate the practice of mercy as spiritual good and healing property.  These elements do not merely address the external, but rather the internal wounds of sin that separates us from God and one another -- and in particular the environment of a world permeated with error, hostility, enmity, and misleading teachings that harm rather than doing good (John 16:2).  Here we are, in this world, this "valley of the shadow of death," that seems to be, quite often, the same as it ever was.  In a modern point of view, we may take scientific, legal, and other forms of advances as proof that our world is simply not the same as it was, and so these advances -- when they do indeed come in the form of compassion, care, and mercy -- do form a kind of help for us all, an improvement in the lot of the world.  But healing is more than physical, and this is a parable meant to teach about the gift of eternal life, the life of the soul.  And in this context, we need to look again at what Jesus teaches.  In the care of the soul, there is no separation between what we do and who we are.  For the pure in heart (Matthew 5:8) there is no difference between the inside of the cup and the outside (Matthew 23:26).  It is this practice of mercy, in which we rely on God to teach us its depth of practice and to transfigure us into the image that Christ has of us, in which the world is transformed from stranger to neighbor.  For this practice deep in the soul, these things begin in the heart, with what we nourish and what we cherish as our greatest treasure and blessing, and that is where "neighbor" begins.  This is not merely a story about outward acts, nor is it a teaching only about a conviction or principle.  It is, rather, a story about active faith -- about how the choices we make will reflect the love of God (Who is love) which we actively cultivate and cherish within ourselves, especially through the methods and practices offered to us to participate in this Kingdom and the love of Christ.  The fullness of belonging to this Samaritan who takes on the burden of care for a hurting world is the fullness of life everlasting for each of us.  Christ teaches us not merely about outward acts, but also about the depths of love that can be at work in us, that there is no real measure of how deeply we can proceed and participate in this love, even as we walk through this valley of the shadow of death, so long as the Lord our Shepherd is with us, as the Psalm teaches.  Jesus, through this parable, gives us an image of the world.  Our lives, and all the circumstances through which we pass, may not be perfect.  We may be beset by the thieves who would steal away and destroy this love that means peace in the perfect heavenly Jerusalem, the place of our root and origin.  But we each have the chance to participate actively in God's compassion through the gifts we're given via Christ's Incarnation.  The gift is before us, even as Jesus travels to Jerusalem and His own hour of glory, to the Cross and to Resurrection.  Let us consider that transforming work in our own lives today.   Let us also consider the times in which we may find ourselves "wounded" and left "half dead," perhaps literally, but quite often figuratively.  It is for those times that we call on the Lord and His way of compassion and the cross, to see us through with the care we need, to get us to the place we need to be.

The Good Samaritan: Go and do likewise

 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 thieves?"  And he said, "He who showed mercy to him."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

- Luke 10:25-37

Yesterday we read that the seventy apostles Jesus had sent out returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."  And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."  In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "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.  Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."  Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, "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."  The lawyer (an expert in the Mosaic Law) quotes from two statutes:  Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. 

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."  The lawyer tests Jesus with an essential question, And who is my neighbor?  Jesus clearly deems the question important to answer, as He gives this parable in response.  Jerusalem is the place of peace, says my study bible.  It is symbolic of communion with God.  But Jericho is a city in complete contrast; it was renowned as a place of sin (see 19:1).  To fall among thieves is seen as an image of the natural consequence of journeying away from God toward a life of sin (see John 10:10).

"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."  My study bible quotes Cyril of Alexandria's commentary on this passage:  "The dignity of the priesthood means nothing unless he also excels in deeds."  Titles and positions are meaningless in God's sight, it notes, when good deeds do not accompany them.   The priest and the Levite also represent the Old Testament Law, and its failure to heal the consequences of sin.

"But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was.  And when he saw him, he had compassion."  While the Samaritan may be a despised foreigner in the eyes of the Jews (and therefore those listening to Jesus tell the parable), he's also an image of Christ (John 8:48).  Christ "came down from heaven" (Creed, also John 6:38) to save even those in rebellion against Him.

"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.'"  My study bible tells us that the bandages, oil and wine are sacramental images for several things.  First. there is the garment of baptism, which delivers us from the wounds of sin.  Second,  there is symbolism here for the oil of chrismation, which gives us new life in the Holy Spirit.  Third, the communion of the divine Blood, symbolized by wine in the parable, leads to eternal life.   That the Samaritan sets the man on his own animal indicates Christ bearing our sins in His own body.  The inn where the man who receives care reveals the Church in which Christ's care is received.  He pays the price for that care (1 Corinthians 6:20, 7:23).  In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ refers several times to good deeds done in secret, which the Father will repay openly.  See in particular Matthew 6:3-4.

"So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among thieves?"  And he said, "He who showed mercy to him."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."  Go and do likewise is a commandment for all of us. 

"Go and do likewise."  Let us consider this command from Jesus.  We are to be like he who showed mercy to him:  the Samaritan to the man who had fallen among thieves.  One thing we may note:  the word for mercy in Greek is eleos.  This is alike to the word for olive oil; that is, like the oil with which the Samaritan bound the wounds of victim of thieves.  Olive oil, in ancient times, formed the basis for all healing balms and even fine perfumes.  So, to truly understand the role of mercy in the Gospels, we must also understand the ties to this word and their associations with the oil of chrismation, and the balm of mercy.  We also note that Jesus' command to go and do likewise speaks to us of personal incentive.  That is, we take the initiative to become neighbors.  One does not have to seek out such circumstances or dream of glorious things we might do and plan.  The good Samaritan comes upon a circumstance in his life which asks him to make a choice.  He sees the choices that others make, the priest and the Levite.  But he takes compassion on the one who is left with his wounds at the hands of the robbers.  In the Orthodox Church, St. Nicholas is honored each Thursday, along with the Apostles.  If we look at the life of St. Nicholas, we may understand a connection with the parable of the Good Samaritan. St. Nicholas is known to us in large part for his charitable works, which were extensions of his great piety and faith in the Lord.   He took pity on those he knew who not only were in need, but who were in danger of being left aside, without community, alone to fend for themselves.  One prominent story in the life of St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, tells us of three daughters of a formerly well-to-do man, fallen on hard times.  In that time, a woman without a dowry was unlikely to marry.  They risked a life of slavery or prostitution.  St. Nicholas had inherited wealth from his parents.  One night, the story goes, a bag of gold was tossed through a window of the home of the three young ladies.  Soon the eldest was married.  Later on, the same thing happened again.  The father of the young women was determined to find out their secret benefactor, and began to keep watch during the night.  A third time a bag of gold landed inside the home, and the father surprised St. Nicholas as he fled, identifying his donor.  The father was told by St. Nicholas, "You must thank God alone for providing these gifts in answer to your prayers for deliverance."   That the Church honors St. Nicholas weekly, and in conjunction with the Apostles, tells us that such works of compassion and charity do the greatest service for our Lord, it spreads the kingdom of God into the world as the apostles did.  It is an eloquent way to express one's love for God in the world.  Like the Good Samaritan, and like St. Nicholas, these works don't need to be things we plan on to impress the world or to find some glory for ourselves.  Rather, as we live our lives, we will come upon circumstances that ask us a question -- what can we do to help?  The gift is made all the greater for its lack of worldly glory.  We may find ourselves in a circumstance where we take compassion on those whom others may hate, for one reason and another.  But our blessing is from God and our service is to God, especially when we include those whom all others forget or exclude.  May God bless you with Jesus' command to go and do likewise.  Even in the smallest of ways, whether it is a smile we give or a courtesy or even just a kind word, the compassion our Father sees in secret will be repaid openly, in one way or another.  This, then, becomes a true act of prayer, the true glory of beauty in the sight of Christ.