The Good Samaritan
Preaching
Preaching The Parables
Series III, Cycle C
1. Text
Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" [26] He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?" [27] 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." [28] And he said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live."
[29] But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" [30] 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. [31] Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. [32] So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. [33] But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. [34] 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. [35] 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.' [36] Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" [37] He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
2. What's Happening?
First Point Of Action
Testing Jesus, a lawyer asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus returns his query with his own, asking for his interpretation of the law. The lawyer answers with the Mosaic "love God" formula. Jesus applauds him adding the ending of the Deuteronomic formula, "in order that you may live."
Second Point Of Action
Continuing his questioning, the lawyer asks who his neighbor is and Jesus tells the parable.
Third Point Of Action
Robbers attacked a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him, leaving him for dead.
Fourth Point Of Action
A priest passed him by on the other side of the road.
Fifth Point Of Action
A Levite passed him by on the other side of the road.
Sixth Point Of Action
A Samaritan came by and, moved with compassion, cleaned and bound his wounds.
Seventh Point Of Action
He put the wounded man on his animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him.
Eighth Point Of Action
Next day, he paid the innkeeper two denarii to continue his care and said he would pay for any additional costs when he returned.
Ninth Point Of Action
In his third conversation with the lawyer, Jesus asks which of the three travelers acted as a neighbor to the injured man. The lawyer said it was the one who showed him mercy. Jesus told him to go do likewise.
3. Spade Work
Eternal Life
When the lawyer asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life, Jesus told him the parable of The Good Samaritan. When a ruler asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life, Jesus told him to sell all of his possessions. (See Luke 10:25 and 18:18ff. See also Matthew 19:16 and 19:29-30 and Mark 10:17-22.)
Followers also must leave house and family. (See Luke 18:29-30 and Mark 10:29-30.) Those who ignore the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, or in prison "will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life" (Matthew 25:44-46).
The Gospel of John contains fifteen references to "eternal life," beginning with the most familiar: "And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life" (John 3:14-16).
The prerequisite to eternal life for "whoever" and "anyone" is belief in the Son (John 3:36, 5:24, 5:39-40, 6:40, and 6:47); the water Christ gives will bring eternal life (John 4:14); and those who eat Christ's flesh and drink his blood (John 6:54).
Those who disobey the Son will not see eternal life. (See John 3:36.) "Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life" (John 12:25). "... [S]ince you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent" (John 17:2-3).
Mercy
"Mercy" is a whole Bible word, occurring 105 times with twenty occasions in the New Testament. "Merciful" appears 24 times. God is "merciful and gracious" (see Exodus 34:6; 2 Chronicles 30:9; Nehemiah 9:17 and 31; Psalm 86:15, 103:8, 111:4, 112:4, 116:5, and 145:8; Joel 2:13; and Jonah 4:2. Several of these verses include a formula seen in Nehemiah 9:17, of "the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love").
Can the mercy of a faithful God have a capricious element? "[God told Moses], 'I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, "The Lord"; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy' " (Exodus 33:19). This passage suggests that God does not want to be the object of our manipulation.
When Paul paraphrased this passage, he added the following observation: "So it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who shows mercy" (Romans 9:15-16). So is this why in the most dire circumstances, we leave reaching out to people and send our plea for help directly to God?
Numerous passages refer to the specially constructed "mercy seat" where God arranged to meet with Moses. See Exodus 25:13-22, 26:34, 30:6, 31:7, 35:12, 37:6-9, and 39:35; Leviticus 16:2 and 16:13-15; Numbers 7:89; 1 Chronicles 28:11; and Hebrews 9:5.
The following two passages offer particular comfort: "Because the Lord your God is a merciful God, he will neither abandon you nor destroy you; he will not forget the covenant with your ancestors that he swore to them" (Deuteronomy 4:31) and "Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, / for in you my soul takes refuge; / in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, / until the destroying storms pass by" (Psalm 57:1). Other descriptions of God as merciful are found in Genesis 19:16, Deuteronomy 4:31, and Jeremiah 3:12.
The mercy of God is intertwined with justice: "Great is your mercy, O Lord; / give me life according to your justice" (Psalm 119:156) and "Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you; / therefore he will rise up to show mercy to you. / For the Lord is a God of justice; / blessed are all those who wait for him" (Isaiah 30:18).
Mercy has to do with God's keeping us safe as well as saving us: "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me / all the days of my life, / and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord / my whole life long" (Psalm 23:6) and "Do not, O Lord, withhold / your mercy from me; / let your steadfast love and your faithfulness / keep me safe forever" (Psalm 40:10).
Who are the recipients of mercy? "His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation" (Luke 1:50).
The plea for mercy requires persistence: "As the eyes of servants / look to the hand of their master, / as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, / so our eyes look to the Lord our God, / until he has mercy upon us" (Psalm 123:2); "Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us, / for we have had more than enough of contempt" (Psalm 123:3); and "But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' " (Luke 18:13).
In the miracle stories, the plea of the hurting or their advocates was "Lord, have mercy on me" (see Matthew 9:27, 15:22, 17:15, and 20:30; Mark 10:47; Luke 16:24, 17:13, and 18:38). Jesus responds to the words of the prophet, Hosea: "For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings" (Hosea 6:6). He tells the Pharisees to "[g]o and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners" (Matthew 9:13). (See also Matthew 12:7.)
Not only are we recipients of mercy, we are to show mercy to others: "Thus says the Lord of hosts: Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another" (Zechariah 7:9) and "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful" (Luke 6:36).
Jesus calls justice, mercy, and faith the "weightier matters of the law." (See Matthew 23:23.) He counsels the practice of mercy: "Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?" (Matthew 18:33) and "Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy" (Matthew 5:7).
Neighbor
Fifty of the 66 references to "neighbor" are found in the Hebrew Scripture. Ten are in the Synoptic Gospels. Six of the 44 references to "neighbors" are in the Synoptic Gospels.
Who is your neighbor? A neighbor is one who lives near or next to another, a person, place, or thing adjacent to or located near another, a fellow human being, a near dweller, now even one whom one does not know. What about the cyber-neighbor who lives miles away and yet is close in spirit?
Who is your neighbor? "If there is among you anyone in need, a member of your community in any of your towns within the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your needy neighbor" (Deuteronomy 15:7). "Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, 'Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land' " (Deuteronomy 15:11).
Two of the Ten Commandments speak of how to treat one's neighbor: "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor" (Exodus 20:16) and "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor" (Exodus 20:17).
According to Deuteronomic law, as a neighbor, you "may not withhold your help. You shall not see your neighbor's donkey or ox fallen on the road and ignore it; you shall help to lift it up" (Deuteronomy 22:3b-4). "And if your neighbor cries out to me, I will listen, for I am compassionate" (Exodus 22:27). "You shall not defraud your neighbor" (Leviticus 19:13a). "[W]ith justice you shall judge your neighbor" (Leviticus 19:15c). "You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord" (Leviticus 19:18).
There is the good neighbor code; then there is everyday reality. The closer one lives to a neighbor, the more difficult it may be to relate, let alone love that neighbor. "Return sevenfold into the bosom of our neighbors the taunts with which they taunted you, O Lord!" (Psalm 79:12). "The poor are disliked even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends. Those who despise their neighbors are sinners, but happy are those who are kind to the poor" (Proverbs 14:20-21). "They all speak friendly words to their neighbors, but inwardly are planning to lay an ambush" (Jeremiah 9:8). See also Proverbs 3:29, Proverbs 27:14, and Jeremiah 9:4.
The reality code suggests when trouble happens across the street with the neighbors, that you indulge your curiosity and look between the blinds with your lights off but avoid running full speed to their assistance. Give them space; you would not want to intrude. Call 911 anonymously: "My friends and companions stand aloof from my affliction, and my neighbors stand far off" (Psalm 38:11).
One cannot have the same unattended problem as a neighbor and expect to be of help. "Or how can you say to your neighbor, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' while the log is in your own eye?" (Matthew 7:4 and Luke 6:42).
On being a good neighbor, follow the basic Golden Rule of the human family: "In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets" (Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31). "Honor your father and mother; also, You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 19:19). See also Matthew 5:43, Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:31, and Luke 10:27. Loving one's neighbor as oneself as well as loving God "is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices" (Mark 12:33).
"[Jesus] said also to the one who had invited him, 'When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid' " (Luke 14:12). While Jesus was making a different point here, why not invite them all, both those who can repay and those who cannot? It might improve things in your neighborhood.
All is not dismal regarding neighbors. The woman who found her lost coin and the shepherd who found his lost sheep appreciate their neighbors enough to call them over to rejoice with them and to celebrate their good fortune. (See Lost And Found, Parable 13, Cycle C, Luke 15:1-10.)
When Naomi gave birth to her son in a strange country, the women of the neighborhood gathered around and took them both under their wing: "[They] gave him a name, saying, 'A son has been born to Naomi.' They named him Obed; he became the father of Jesse, the father of David" (Ruth 4:17). Good neighboring.
Samaritan
All six biblical references to "Samaritan" are found in the Gospels. In the story, The Ten Lepers, the one among the ten persons with leprosy who returned to thank Jesus after he was healed was a Samaritan. Luke notes this as an afterthought: "And he was a Samaritan" (Luke 17:16). In Luke 17:18, he referred to the man as a foreigner.
In The Good Samaritan Story, the man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho. In The Ten Lepers, Jesus went through the region to a village between Samaria and Galilee on the way to Jerusalem. (See Luke 17:11.) In The Good Samaritan, two of the three potential neighbors kept their distance on the other side of the road. In The Ten Lepers, the lepers approached Jesus but kept their distance from him. Did the injured man have a chance to thank the Samaritan? In The Ten Lepers, all had a chance but only one returned to do so.
On the way from Judea to Galilee, Jesus had to pass through the territory of Samaria. At the Samaritan city of Sychar, he met the Samaritan woman at the well. (See John 4:5-26.) In addition to having a geography, the Samaritans were a religious community. While some of their practices were similar to those of the Hebrews, others were closer to Islam.
The traditional hostility between Jews and Samaritans remained alive. When Jesus asked the woman for a drink of water, it was she who questioned him because, parenthetically in the text, "Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans" (John 4:9b). The Jews considered the Samaritans heathens. The Samaritans saw themselves as repatriated exiles of Israel.1
4. Parallel Scripture
Heart, Soul, and Strength
Ten biblical passages relate to the Two Commandments spoken by Christ, "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" (Luke 10:27).
Four passages are from Deuteronomy. "With all your strength" and "your neighbor as yourself" are absent in Deuteronomy 6:5 and 10:12. Rather than Luke's "with all your mind," Deuteronomy 6:5 reads "with all your might." Deuteronomy 10:12 contains neither "mind" nor "might."
Unlike the Lukan passage and the earlier reference from Deuter-onomy that begin, "You shall love the Lord your God with," Deuteronomy 10:12 prefaces the dictum with "Only to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him" and then "to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul."
The Deuteronomy 13:3 passage speaks of God's testing the priestly tribe of Levi "to know whether you indeed love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul." The Deuteronomy 30:6 passage refers to loving God "with all your heart and with all your soul, in order that you may live."
In 1 Kings 8:23 and 2 Chronicles 6:14, God's reward for "your servants who walk before you with all their heart" is keeping God's covenant and steadfast love. The Joshua reference summarizes the commandment from Moses, concluding with the heart/soul formula: "to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to keep his commandments, and to hold fast to him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul" (Joshua 22:5). He uses "serve," as it appears in Deuteronomy 10:12.
In the Synoptic Gospels, Mark's parallel more closely resembles that of Luke. Mark puts the "with all your mind" phrase before "with all your strength." Matthew uses heart, soul, and mind but omits strength. (See Matthew 22:37.) Mark and Matthew omit "and your neighbor as yourself," which is integral to the present parable. (See Mark 12:30.)
That You May Live
"And he said to him, 'You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live' " (Luke 10:28). This phrase that completes the Two Commandments suggests both physical survival with a thriving longevity (see Deuteronomy 5:33, 8:1, and 16:20) and a vibrant quality of the soul. (See the Deuteronomic "Choose life" passage from Deuteronomy 30:19-20.) In this passage, the qualifiers of choosing life "so that you and your descendants may live," include "loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him" (Deuteronomy 30:19-20). The choice to connect to God and be faithful to God is a prerequisite of life. See Isaiah 55:3 and Amos 5:14.
5. Chat Room
A: Where is your mercy seat? Where do you go to sit and wait for God? What special place have you built in your heart to go to and meet God? Where does God come to you?
B: How do you offer the mercy seat to a stranger? How do you bring God? Where do you go to show God's mercy? How do you love your neighbor as yourself?
A: Who is my neighbor? George Aamoth, Nana Kwuku Danso, Julie M. Geis.2
B: Forgetting inconvenience to themselves, good Samaritans allow compassion to move them. Samaritans bypass questions of citizenship, social security number, and insurance to become brothers or sisters to someone's wife or husband, someone's child, someone's father or mother, someone's sister or brother.
A: Who is my neighbor? Mon Gjonbalaj, Taizo Ishikawa, Mary Jones.
B: The Samaritan cares not if the injured one is from Ghana, India, Queens, or Japan. The Samaritan cares not if the injured one is brown or lesbian or blind. The Samaritan wants to find and tend.
A: Who is my neighbor? Shashi Kadabah, Jong-min Lee, Robert M. Levine.
B: The Samaritan cares not if the injured one worships the same God as the Samaritan, holds the same beliefs, or professes no belief at all. The Samaritan hears only the cry of a member of the human family.
A: Who is my neighbor? Brian Monaghan, Hardai Parbhu, Khalid Shahid.
B: Do you hear the voice of the hurting one call out to God in the soul when unable to use a spoken voice? When it seems too late, the savior of the injured one perceives beyond body, connecting soul with soul. The Samaritan hears the wordless call of those who suffer injustice and initiates a conversation of hope.
A: Who is my neighbor? John Sherry, Roshan/Khami Singh, Norbert Szurkowski.
B: When the hurt one cannot be fixed, God's portable mercy enters the dust and smoke. The pit becomes God's mercy seat. The holiness of God seeps through the crevices, finding the dust and bringing the mercy of the one who will be with us everywhere and always.
A: Who is my neighbor? Malissa White, Kevin Yokum, Igor Zukelman.
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1. For further comparison of their religious practices, see "Samaritans, Affinities With Islam" and "Karaite Affinities" in George A. Buttrick, Ed., The Interpreter's Dictionary Of The Bible, Volume 4 (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1962).
2. The men and women named here are among the victims of the September 11, 2001, Twin Towers attack.
Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" [26] He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?" [27] 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." [28] And he said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live."
[29] But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" [30] 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. [31] Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. [32] So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. [33] But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. [34] 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. [35] 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.' [36] Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" [37] He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
2. What's Happening?
First Point Of Action
Testing Jesus, a lawyer asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus returns his query with his own, asking for his interpretation of the law. The lawyer answers with the Mosaic "love God" formula. Jesus applauds him adding the ending of the Deuteronomic formula, "in order that you may live."
Second Point Of Action
Continuing his questioning, the lawyer asks who his neighbor is and Jesus tells the parable.
Third Point Of Action
Robbers attacked a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him, leaving him for dead.
Fourth Point Of Action
A priest passed him by on the other side of the road.
Fifth Point Of Action
A Levite passed him by on the other side of the road.
Sixth Point Of Action
A Samaritan came by and, moved with compassion, cleaned and bound his wounds.
Seventh Point Of Action
He put the wounded man on his animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him.
Eighth Point Of Action
Next day, he paid the innkeeper two denarii to continue his care and said he would pay for any additional costs when he returned.
Ninth Point Of Action
In his third conversation with the lawyer, Jesus asks which of the three travelers acted as a neighbor to the injured man. The lawyer said it was the one who showed him mercy. Jesus told him to go do likewise.
3. Spade Work
Eternal Life
When the lawyer asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life, Jesus told him the parable of The Good Samaritan. When a ruler asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life, Jesus told him to sell all of his possessions. (See Luke 10:25 and 18:18ff. See also Matthew 19:16 and 19:29-30 and Mark 10:17-22.)
Followers also must leave house and family. (See Luke 18:29-30 and Mark 10:29-30.) Those who ignore the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, or in prison "will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life" (Matthew 25:44-46).
The Gospel of John contains fifteen references to "eternal life," beginning with the most familiar: "And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life" (John 3:14-16).
The prerequisite to eternal life for "whoever" and "anyone" is belief in the Son (John 3:36, 5:24, 5:39-40, 6:40, and 6:47); the water Christ gives will bring eternal life (John 4:14); and those who eat Christ's flesh and drink his blood (John 6:54).
Those who disobey the Son will not see eternal life. (See John 3:36.) "Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life" (John 12:25). "... [S]ince you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent" (John 17:2-3).
Mercy
"Mercy" is a whole Bible word, occurring 105 times with twenty occasions in the New Testament. "Merciful" appears 24 times. God is "merciful and gracious" (see Exodus 34:6; 2 Chronicles 30:9; Nehemiah 9:17 and 31; Psalm 86:15, 103:8, 111:4, 112:4, 116:5, and 145:8; Joel 2:13; and Jonah 4:2. Several of these verses include a formula seen in Nehemiah 9:17, of "the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love").
Can the mercy of a faithful God have a capricious element? "[God told Moses], 'I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, "The Lord"; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy' " (Exodus 33:19). This passage suggests that God does not want to be the object of our manipulation.
When Paul paraphrased this passage, he added the following observation: "So it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who shows mercy" (Romans 9:15-16). So is this why in the most dire circumstances, we leave reaching out to people and send our plea for help directly to God?
Numerous passages refer to the specially constructed "mercy seat" where God arranged to meet with Moses. See Exodus 25:13-22, 26:34, 30:6, 31:7, 35:12, 37:6-9, and 39:35; Leviticus 16:2 and 16:13-15; Numbers 7:89; 1 Chronicles 28:11; and Hebrews 9:5.
The following two passages offer particular comfort: "Because the Lord your God is a merciful God, he will neither abandon you nor destroy you; he will not forget the covenant with your ancestors that he swore to them" (Deuteronomy 4:31) and "Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, / for in you my soul takes refuge; / in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, / until the destroying storms pass by" (Psalm 57:1). Other descriptions of God as merciful are found in Genesis 19:16, Deuteronomy 4:31, and Jeremiah 3:12.
The mercy of God is intertwined with justice: "Great is your mercy, O Lord; / give me life according to your justice" (Psalm 119:156) and "Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you; / therefore he will rise up to show mercy to you. / For the Lord is a God of justice; / blessed are all those who wait for him" (Isaiah 30:18).
Mercy has to do with God's keeping us safe as well as saving us: "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me / all the days of my life, / and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord / my whole life long" (Psalm 23:6) and "Do not, O Lord, withhold / your mercy from me; / let your steadfast love and your faithfulness / keep me safe forever" (Psalm 40:10).
Who are the recipients of mercy? "His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation" (Luke 1:50).
The plea for mercy requires persistence: "As the eyes of servants / look to the hand of their master, / as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, / so our eyes look to the Lord our God, / until he has mercy upon us" (Psalm 123:2); "Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us, / for we have had more than enough of contempt" (Psalm 123:3); and "But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' " (Luke 18:13).
In the miracle stories, the plea of the hurting or their advocates was "Lord, have mercy on me" (see Matthew 9:27, 15:22, 17:15, and 20:30; Mark 10:47; Luke 16:24, 17:13, and 18:38). Jesus responds to the words of the prophet, Hosea: "For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings" (Hosea 6:6). He tells the Pharisees to "[g]o and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners" (Matthew 9:13). (See also Matthew 12:7.)
Not only are we recipients of mercy, we are to show mercy to others: "Thus says the Lord of hosts: Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another" (Zechariah 7:9) and "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful" (Luke 6:36).
Jesus calls justice, mercy, and faith the "weightier matters of the law." (See Matthew 23:23.) He counsels the practice of mercy: "Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?" (Matthew 18:33) and "Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy" (Matthew 5:7).
Neighbor
Fifty of the 66 references to "neighbor" are found in the Hebrew Scripture. Ten are in the Synoptic Gospels. Six of the 44 references to "neighbors" are in the Synoptic Gospels.
Who is your neighbor? A neighbor is one who lives near or next to another, a person, place, or thing adjacent to or located near another, a fellow human being, a near dweller, now even one whom one does not know. What about the cyber-neighbor who lives miles away and yet is close in spirit?
Who is your neighbor? "If there is among you anyone in need, a member of your community in any of your towns within the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your needy neighbor" (Deuteronomy 15:7). "Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, 'Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land' " (Deuteronomy 15:11).
Two of the Ten Commandments speak of how to treat one's neighbor: "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor" (Exodus 20:16) and "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor" (Exodus 20:17).
According to Deuteronomic law, as a neighbor, you "may not withhold your help. You shall not see your neighbor's donkey or ox fallen on the road and ignore it; you shall help to lift it up" (Deuteronomy 22:3b-4). "And if your neighbor cries out to me, I will listen, for I am compassionate" (Exodus 22:27). "You shall not defraud your neighbor" (Leviticus 19:13a). "[W]ith justice you shall judge your neighbor" (Leviticus 19:15c). "You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord" (Leviticus 19:18).
There is the good neighbor code; then there is everyday reality. The closer one lives to a neighbor, the more difficult it may be to relate, let alone love that neighbor. "Return sevenfold into the bosom of our neighbors the taunts with which they taunted you, O Lord!" (Psalm 79:12). "The poor are disliked even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends. Those who despise their neighbors are sinners, but happy are those who are kind to the poor" (Proverbs 14:20-21). "They all speak friendly words to their neighbors, but inwardly are planning to lay an ambush" (Jeremiah 9:8). See also Proverbs 3:29, Proverbs 27:14, and Jeremiah 9:4.
The reality code suggests when trouble happens across the street with the neighbors, that you indulge your curiosity and look between the blinds with your lights off but avoid running full speed to their assistance. Give them space; you would not want to intrude. Call 911 anonymously: "My friends and companions stand aloof from my affliction, and my neighbors stand far off" (Psalm 38:11).
One cannot have the same unattended problem as a neighbor and expect to be of help. "Or how can you say to your neighbor, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' while the log is in your own eye?" (Matthew 7:4 and Luke 6:42).
On being a good neighbor, follow the basic Golden Rule of the human family: "In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets" (Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31). "Honor your father and mother; also, You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 19:19). See also Matthew 5:43, Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:31, and Luke 10:27. Loving one's neighbor as oneself as well as loving God "is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices" (Mark 12:33).
"[Jesus] said also to the one who had invited him, 'When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid' " (Luke 14:12). While Jesus was making a different point here, why not invite them all, both those who can repay and those who cannot? It might improve things in your neighborhood.
All is not dismal regarding neighbors. The woman who found her lost coin and the shepherd who found his lost sheep appreciate their neighbors enough to call them over to rejoice with them and to celebrate their good fortune. (See Lost And Found, Parable 13, Cycle C, Luke 15:1-10.)
When Naomi gave birth to her son in a strange country, the women of the neighborhood gathered around and took them both under their wing: "[They] gave him a name, saying, 'A son has been born to Naomi.' They named him Obed; he became the father of Jesse, the father of David" (Ruth 4:17). Good neighboring.
Samaritan
All six biblical references to "Samaritan" are found in the Gospels. In the story, The Ten Lepers, the one among the ten persons with leprosy who returned to thank Jesus after he was healed was a Samaritan. Luke notes this as an afterthought: "And he was a Samaritan" (Luke 17:16). In Luke 17:18, he referred to the man as a foreigner.
In The Good Samaritan Story, the man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho. In The Ten Lepers, Jesus went through the region to a village between Samaria and Galilee on the way to Jerusalem. (See Luke 17:11.) In The Good Samaritan, two of the three potential neighbors kept their distance on the other side of the road. In The Ten Lepers, the lepers approached Jesus but kept their distance from him. Did the injured man have a chance to thank the Samaritan? In The Ten Lepers, all had a chance but only one returned to do so.
On the way from Judea to Galilee, Jesus had to pass through the territory of Samaria. At the Samaritan city of Sychar, he met the Samaritan woman at the well. (See John 4:5-26.) In addition to having a geography, the Samaritans were a religious community. While some of their practices were similar to those of the Hebrews, others were closer to Islam.
The traditional hostility between Jews and Samaritans remained alive. When Jesus asked the woman for a drink of water, it was she who questioned him because, parenthetically in the text, "Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans" (John 4:9b). The Jews considered the Samaritans heathens. The Samaritans saw themselves as repatriated exiles of Israel.1
4. Parallel Scripture
Heart, Soul, and Strength
Ten biblical passages relate to the Two Commandments spoken by Christ, "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" (Luke 10:27).
Four passages are from Deuteronomy. "With all your strength" and "your neighbor as yourself" are absent in Deuteronomy 6:5 and 10:12. Rather than Luke's "with all your mind," Deuteronomy 6:5 reads "with all your might." Deuteronomy 10:12 contains neither "mind" nor "might."
Unlike the Lukan passage and the earlier reference from Deuter-onomy that begin, "You shall love the Lord your God with," Deuteronomy 10:12 prefaces the dictum with "Only to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him" and then "to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul."
The Deuteronomy 13:3 passage speaks of God's testing the priestly tribe of Levi "to know whether you indeed love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul." The Deuteronomy 30:6 passage refers to loving God "with all your heart and with all your soul, in order that you may live."
In 1 Kings 8:23 and 2 Chronicles 6:14, God's reward for "your servants who walk before you with all their heart" is keeping God's covenant and steadfast love. The Joshua reference summarizes the commandment from Moses, concluding with the heart/soul formula: "to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to keep his commandments, and to hold fast to him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul" (Joshua 22:5). He uses "serve," as it appears in Deuteronomy 10:12.
In the Synoptic Gospels, Mark's parallel more closely resembles that of Luke. Mark puts the "with all your mind" phrase before "with all your strength." Matthew uses heart, soul, and mind but omits strength. (See Matthew 22:37.) Mark and Matthew omit "and your neighbor as yourself," which is integral to the present parable. (See Mark 12:30.)
That You May Live
"And he said to him, 'You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live' " (Luke 10:28). This phrase that completes the Two Commandments suggests both physical survival with a thriving longevity (see Deuteronomy 5:33, 8:1, and 16:20) and a vibrant quality of the soul. (See the Deuteronomic "Choose life" passage from Deuteronomy 30:19-20.) In this passage, the qualifiers of choosing life "so that you and your descendants may live," include "loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him" (Deuteronomy 30:19-20). The choice to connect to God and be faithful to God is a prerequisite of life. See Isaiah 55:3 and Amos 5:14.
5. Chat Room
A: Where is your mercy seat? Where do you go to sit and wait for God? What special place have you built in your heart to go to and meet God? Where does God come to you?
B: How do you offer the mercy seat to a stranger? How do you bring God? Where do you go to show God's mercy? How do you love your neighbor as yourself?
A: Who is my neighbor? George Aamoth, Nana Kwuku Danso, Julie M. Geis.2
B: Forgetting inconvenience to themselves, good Samaritans allow compassion to move them. Samaritans bypass questions of citizenship, social security number, and insurance to become brothers or sisters to someone's wife or husband, someone's child, someone's father or mother, someone's sister or brother.
A: Who is my neighbor? Mon Gjonbalaj, Taizo Ishikawa, Mary Jones.
B: The Samaritan cares not if the injured one is from Ghana, India, Queens, or Japan. The Samaritan cares not if the injured one is brown or lesbian or blind. The Samaritan wants to find and tend.
A: Who is my neighbor? Shashi Kadabah, Jong-min Lee, Robert M. Levine.
B: The Samaritan cares not if the injured one worships the same God as the Samaritan, holds the same beliefs, or professes no belief at all. The Samaritan hears only the cry of a member of the human family.
A: Who is my neighbor? Brian Monaghan, Hardai Parbhu, Khalid Shahid.
B: Do you hear the voice of the hurting one call out to God in the soul when unable to use a spoken voice? When it seems too late, the savior of the injured one perceives beyond body, connecting soul with soul. The Samaritan hears the wordless call of those who suffer injustice and initiates a conversation of hope.
A: Who is my neighbor? John Sherry, Roshan/Khami Singh, Norbert Szurkowski.
B: When the hurt one cannot be fixed, God's portable mercy enters the dust and smoke. The pit becomes God's mercy seat. The holiness of God seeps through the crevices, finding the dust and bringing the mercy of the one who will be with us everywhere and always.
A: Who is my neighbor? Malissa White, Kevin Yokum, Igor Zukelman.
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1. For further comparison of their religious practices, see "Samaritans, Affinities With Islam" and "Karaite Affinities" in George A. Buttrick, Ed., The Interpreter's Dictionary Of The Bible, Volume 4 (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1962).
2. The men and women named here are among the victims of the September 11, 2001, Twin Towers attack.
