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 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).