Luke
Luke is a gospel that
emphasizes God's love for the poor, the disadvantaged, minorities, outcasts,
sinners and lepers. Jesus has entered Samaritan territiory we are told in Luke 9v52 and so
we get the story of The “Good” Samaritan. The story invites the question can a
Samaritan be good? Its like today “Can a Muslim be good?
Jesus is approached by a legal
expert in Biblical law who asks what a person must do to gain eternal life. Jesus
asks the lawyer/theologian what he thinks the scriptures say. The theologian
gives the answer, "love God, love your neighbor." Jesus replies
"Indeed, do this and you will live." Yet, here lies the problem,
doing God's law is no easy matter, and it does help if our neighbour belongs to
a group of people we like. So, the theologian asks Jesus "who is my
neighbour?" Jesus doesn't actually answer the theologian's question (my
neighbor is even my enemy), rather he illustrates in a parable what it means to
love "your neighbour as yourself".
In the parable of the Good
Samaritan Jesus confronts the expert in the law with the simple fact that eternal
life is not secured by righteousness.
The point we learn, is not who
deserves to be cared for but rather the demand to become a person who treats
everyone encountered - however frightening, alien, naked or defenseless - with
compassion. We must take the same risks with one's life and possessions that
the Samaritan did.
Religious Jews (legalists?) of
the day believed that by obedience to the law they were able to perfect their
standing before God and thus guarantee their place in the kingdom. The law forces
the believer to rest on God. This religious Jew did not need a legal definition
for "neighbour", he needed to act in a neighbourly way (with mercy)
to inherit eternal life. The problem was he had never loved as the Samaritan loved!.
Therefore, he stood under the condemnation of God and was in dire need of
divine mercy. Jesus deliberately shocks the lawyer by forcing him to consider the
possibility that a foreigner might know more about the love of God than a
devout Jew blinded by preoccupation with petty rules.
Elsewhere in the gospels Jesus
states this summary of the law, here it comes from a Jewish expert on the law
and Jesus agrees with it. The law is idealistic and beyond even the most
faithful child of God.
Jesus illustrates what it means
to love "your neighbor as yourself", what it means to be neighborly.
The "going down"
expresses movement from a high place to a low place, the low place being
Jericho. The road drops 3,300 feet in 17 miles and was notorious for its
hazards!
The priest does not stop because of a fear of the robbers, or
fear of defilement from a corpse.
A Levite came up to him, quite
close, and passed on.
A Samaritan, who was travelling when he saw him he took pity on him attended to his
wounds. Oil was used on wounds as a liniment, while wine (alcohol) was used as
an antiseptic.
Then
he put the man on his own donkey took the man
to the inn, staying the night with him to care for him (rather than just
dumping him there) and paying for ongoing care the next day. As a neighbor, the
Samaritan did everything he could The
next day he gave money to the
innkeeper to look after him.
When I
return (like Jesus and us) I will reimburse you any extra.
Who seems to you of the three to
have become neighbourly to the one who fell into the robbers?
Go and
do likewise.
The lawyer when asked by Jesus
recognizes that the Samaritan has acted properly (but he can’t bring himself to
say the word Samaritan.) The lawyer must see behind the Law, laws to love. Even
non-Jews who demonstrate this kind of love can enter the kingdom. Salvation?
Jesus' extension of the obligation to love even our
enemies gives it new, radical perspective. Our Christian faith calls us to the love of the Samaritan.
Luke emphasizes that Christ
came for all: all sectors of society, all peoples, and both sexes. Samaritans,
despised by Jews, are welcome in the Kingdom. The lawyer has learnt that his
love should be for everyone; if it is, he has eternal life.
God can be experienced in
barren, inhospitable places or circumstances. God can speak in any situation.
We need to rediscover the Samaritans
theology of kindness. This is wisdom to plan for the stranger. The theology of
kindness creates a welcome environment , practical hospitality and signs we care. Gospel kindness
feeds us physically or spiritually. True welcoming is more interested in the
needs of the stranger. It’s
entertaining angels unawares.
