The parable of the Good Samaritan leads us to confront our ethnic prejudices and narrow social norms.
Luke 10:25-37
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Introduction
What kind of neighborhood do you live in? Are you part of and ‘with’ your neighbors? Do you reflect the values of your neighborhood? Or are you at odds with your neighbors? Do you look down on them?
Neighbors are important. A united neighborhood presents a powerful force with a common bond and provides a vital social network. And yet, too many neighborhoods are in conflict.
Into this Jesus affirms: ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’
We may well ask with the clever young lawyer goading Jesus: ‘Who is my neighbor?’ Jesus replies with the immortal story of the Good Samaritan. It’s difficult to improve on the story.
What simple lessons can we learn? What must we ‘do’ to love our neighbor? And like the Good Samaritan, how can we cross over to be a good neighbor?
Cross Routine Practice (33-34)
TThe Samaritan broke into the routine of his day, interrupted his journey, took the wounded man to a nearby inn and paid for him to stay. This was not part of his planned day. It took time to care.
The other two men kept right on schedule, crossed over to the other side, didn’t miss their religious duties and kept their business appointments.
In the record of the gospel, we see that Christ himself was constantly interrupted and used those moments for great ministry: The feeding of the 5,000, the healing of Blind Bartimaeus and the memorable interaction with Zacchaeus were all interruptions.
Cross Religious Phoniness (31, 32)
The two men who pass by the wounded traveler are religious officials. The man who asks questions is also a religious authority.
Christ cuts through religiosity with this story. The two faith leaders undoubtedly love God but miss the heart and spirit of God’s love. In contrast, practical, simple actions are elevated by Christ.
‘Go, and do likewise,’ says Jesus.
Cross Racial Prejudice (33)
The main thrust of parable for the original hearers is that Jews have no association with Samaritans, and equally, Samaritans have no dealings with Jews. Both serve the same God, both share history, but they are hostile neighbors.
To the shock of the home audience, the despised Samaritan is the good neighbor. Interesting that this is told by Jesus after Samaritans had not permitted him into their territory.
Application
All of us tend to have inbuilt prejudice. We easily pre-judge along racial, gender, lifestyle, religious and socio-economic lines. We have Samaritan neighbors.
Let us break personal routines and take time to be with people, listening and hearing their hurts.
Let us live the spirit of the gospel by befriending marginalized people.
Let us look deeply into our prejudices and then dare to communicate with those who we might never naturally befriend.
Where are the Samaritans in your life? Be a good neighbor.
Download a printable file here: Our Samaritan Neighbours