The treasures of Luke
The good Samaritan
Tim Geddert |
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Part five of nine
Listening in as Jesus sets up a shock
There are Good Samaritan clubs, Good Samaritan schools, Good Samaritan hospitals – and why not? Everyone knows Samaritans are the most wonderful, caring people on earth. Who wouldn’t want Samaritans as neighbours?
Problem is, Jesus’ famous parable has created an image of Samaritans exactly opposite to the one that made the parable work in the first place. The Jews would have said Samaritans were hateful, unclean and religiously perverted. That’s why Jesus chose one of them as the hero of His story. He wanted to shock His hearers. Can you imagine how the scrupulous Pharisaic lawyer must have choked when Jesus made a hated Samaritan instead of a holy Pharisee into the hero of the day?
Perhaps we can re-capture the effect if we listen in on the thoughts of the Pharisee as Jesus answered his question, “And who is my neighbour?” Here’s how I imagine it.
Jesus: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.”
And the Pharisee thinks:
Good set-up. I love these legal puzzles. I bet this man’s neighbour is going to come down the road. One thing is certain, there won’t be any “neighbours” living along this robber-infested road. They really should do something about those robbers – dirty, rotten scoundrels, mostly foreigners, you can be sure of that.
Why can’t those hateful Roman troops raid their strongholds and clean up that road?
Maybe a few of them would die in the process too. What a pity that would be! Now, why did Jesus say “half-dead”?
“A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.”
What else would you expect from a priest? They’re so busy with their sacrifices, they can’t be expected to get their hands dirty helping an ordinary Jew. Stuck-up clergy!
Oh, now I understand the “half-dead.” He probably thought he could justify himself with his ceremonial laws, thought he couldn’t risk touching a possibly dead body. It would hinder his ministry. And of course the ceremonies are everything.
“So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.”
That figures! Those Levites are so busy reading their Levitical laws. I wonder how they always manage to jump over the text that says they should love their neighbour.
Well, there’s the two bad examples. Can’t imagine who the third will be. Presumably someone who does, in fact, stop and help. Who will Jesus choose as his good example? After a priest and a Levite it will probably be a lay Jew, maybe even a lawyer. I sure hope the crowds are paying attention.
“But a Samaritan, as he travelled came to where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.”
A Samaritan – one of those dirty scoundrels? You’ve gone too far this time, Teacher!
On the other hand, what if the injured man is a Samaritan? Now there’s an interesting thought. After all, this is supposed to be a story about loving your neighbour. The injured man is probably the neighbour of this travelling Samaritan. Maybe those robbers should come back and push them both over the cliff.
What’s that Jesus is saying? He bandaged the wounds? Took him to an inn? (You mean a Jewish inn?) Paid the expenses?
Now that’s going way too far! I don’t go much for this mixing of races myself. Why don’t those Samaritans stay in their own country? If it isn’t the foreigners who do the robbing, it’s the foreigners who get robbed. Well, at least this dangerous road is good for something. Maybe word will get around, and we can get this place cleaned up.
What’s that Jesus is asking?
“Who acted like a neighbour?
Well, the one who had mercy of course.
But what does this have to do with me?
I would have stopped; if I could be sure the man was a Jew, that is. I thought Jesus was going to help me define my neighbour. What a dumb answer.
Well, at least I’m okay. I love my neighbours. Not the robbers, of course, and of course not the Romans. Not the priests either, nor the Levites for that matter, and I most certainly don’t love the Samaritans. And I’ve got a lot of trouble with this teacher who believes in race mixing.
But my neighbour? Of course I love my neighbour.
Why didn’t Jesus stick to the question?
Perhaps the parable still has the power to shock a little. I wonder whom Jesus might have lifted out as His hero of compassion today. A violent drug-dealer? A mass murderer? An international terrorist? Come to think of it, maybe even a Pharisaical scribe! After all, it would be someone we would least expect.
Which means, of course, that Jesus wouldn’t pick any of us. He couldn’t, because then the parable wouldn’t work. It wouldn’t shock anyone. Everyone knows our reputation for caring, merciful readiness to help both neighbour and enemy. Right?
For reflection
- How does Jesus’ story help me understand what it means to love my neighbour?
- How does Jesus’ parable challenge my prejudices, shatter my complacency?
- Who is my neighbour?
 Tim Geddert teaches New Testament at MB Biblical Seminary, Fresno, Cal.
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