Our Neighbor
Luke 10:25-37
What makes someone stop to help a total stranger who is hurt?
Photo by Beth Macdonald on Unsplash
Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?" He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." And he said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live." But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, `Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.' Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise." - Luke 10:25-37
It may seem like an odd question, since we all believe it is the right thing to do, to show compassion and be willing to help. But do we do it?
If we interviewed the priest and the Levite, they might have very good rationalizations for not stopping.
The man could be dead or near dead, making him unclean, and that would have made their jobs in the Temple impossible to do for a while.
Robbers could be nearby, waiting to pounce on anyone who stops.
Or it could be a trick. The man could be faking so he can rob them.
We may laugh at these excuses, but what do we say when we confront someone in need of money?
That question always seems to come up when discussing this parable, even though the parable is not about a beggar asking for money. Sure, the Samaritan offered to pay for his lodging and food, but that was not what the beaten man was asking for.
So, our thoughts go to the situations we are most familiar with, rather than the example at hand.
If we looked at this differently, we would find that we are more like the Samaritan than we think.
We all hear stories of people who jump in their cars to drive to a disaster site to offer their help. Firefighters and EMT workers are the ones we think about, those whose job it is to respond to such things.
We can stay in the safety of our homes and make donations of money, food, and clothing through a local nonprofit.
What else could we do?
For a disaster, maybe that is enough, but what if a neighbor is in need? Do we jump to act?
The question the lawyer had was simple. Who is my neighbor? And the answer was left to him to decide.
So it is with us. We all have compassion. We feel for those in need. What do we do about it?
More to come...