Jesus was pretty clear about the importance of “loving my neighbor as myself.”
One day, an “expert in the law” had a follow-up question for him: “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke says the guy wanted to justify himself.) [Luke 10:29, NIV]
If I want to obey Jesus’ commands, I do need to understand who is my neighbor. Therefore I will pay attention to his answer - which comes in the form of a story.
’Tis a familiar story to those of us who grew up inside the church walls - the one about the man “going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers.”
Jesus mentions that a priest and a Levite, both religious leaders, “passed by on the other side” - evidently not wanting to contaminate themselves by getting involved in a messy situation.
Then a Samaritan came along, took pity on the guy, and stopped to help him.
Not just a brief stop to offer “thoughts and prayers.”
Rather he interrupted his own travel plans.
He inconvenienced himself.
He cleaned the guy up and did what he could for him.
Then he put the guy on his own donkey and transported him to an inn.
It is an inspiring story as the Samaritan leaves extra money with the innkeeper and promises to come back and pay whatever else might be needed.
As he finished the telling, Jesus had a question for the questioner: “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” - [Luke 10, NIV]
...
In Sunday School we learned that Samaritans were seen as second-class citizens. Jews regarded them as foreigners and treated them with hostility. For Jesus to have chosen a Samaritan as the hero of this story seems pretty significant.
I could almost imagine a few sweet Jewish grandmothers who had begun to realize how badly Samaritans were treated. Maybe they came over to Jesus and and tearfully told him that SAMARITAN LIVES MATTER!
Maybe Jesus interrupted with a retort: “Of course, they do. ALL lives matter!”
No?
That’s not how the story went?
No.
Jesus knew very well that Samaritans were mistreated.
He was already doing something about it.
He had just elevated a Samaritan to hero status - quite possibly as an example for religious leaders.
He was being an advocate for people who didn’t seem to matter.
Let that be a lesson to me!
Multiple lessons even.
Obviously I need to respect those who are "the other”.
Those who are different than me.
Those that don’t seem to matter in society.
They are my neighbors.
Like the hero in the story who had mercy, I am to do likewise.
I am to be their neighbor.
…
* Excerpted from my book Beyond These Walls: Book by Book.
