On Being a Good Samaritan

based on Luke 10:25-37

Have you ever heard about the Good Samaritan? Somehow the expression "being a good Samaritan" has become part of our vocabulary thanks to a parable in which Jesus taught a practical lesson on practising Christian love and charity towards others. 

The parable of the Good Samaritan is part of a conversation Jesus had with an expert in the law. This man had a question for Jesus. But he did not ask the question because he was unsure of the answer.

He knew what he believed and only asked the question to test Jesus. "Teacher", he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

This man touched upon a most important matter. He inquired about a life that is not only endless in duration but also priceless in quality. It was a question about salvation.

Do you ever wonder about salvation? Not many people today bother to ask about the life to come. There is greater preoccupation with the question: How do I get the most out of life; how can we enjoy ourselves? How can we prosper in the world? But what about the need for salvation? That subject is avoided. It creates discomfort because it means that we must admit that we are in need of something, and we are not quick to admit that.

And yet, this question about salvation is something that requires everyone’ careful attention. The Bible teaches that we are all sinful people who will be judged after death. How shall our sin ever be pardoned? How can we ever have life with God?  Well, the expert in the law was thinking about his salvation and therefore asked: Teacher, what must I do to be saved?

Jesus, in turn, asked him something that, as expert in the law, he was sure to know. Jesus asked: ”What is written in the law? How do you read it?” And it is important to observe that Jesus did not ask the man for his opinions on the subject. He went back to the one source of knowledge about God and salvation and asked: What does Scripture say. 

This lawyer knew that the first biblical requirements was to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind” (Dt 6:5), and the other was to “love your neighbour as yourself” (Lev 19:18).

Here we have the crux of the matter. It is one thing know the requirements, it is quite another to do them. And, that was the  whole point of the question, isn’t it? The lawyer asked: What must I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus showed him that knowing and doing are two side of the same coin. The lawyer knew the requirements. That is why Jesus said: you know it well, now also do it.

The expert in the law was not satisfied with this straightforward demand of God to love the neighbour as oneself. He realized that Jesus’ answer had cornered him. He knew that he had fallen short in doing  what God demands. That shortfall had disastrous consequences for him. If his doing was insufficient, then his own pursuit for eternal life also fell short of the goal.

And so he was looking for an excuse for not having treated all people alike with love. He tried to justify himself with the follow up question: “And who is my neighbour?”

The lawyer wanted to know whom Jesus considered to be a neighbour. He wanted a definition, for he lived in his own circular world as so many people do. At the centre was himself, surrounded by his family and friends, and those he considered worthy. A definition of a neighbour was: he is a brother to me and I to him. The lines were carefully drawn to ensure the well-being of those who were inside the circle. If Jesus sided with his view of who one’s neighbour is then this paved the way once more for inheriting eternal life by  doing.

But Jesus refused to give a definition. Instead he told a story in which he applied the golden rule: Do to others as you would have them do to you (Luke 6:31).  

And so the story unfolds about the man who was robbed on his travels. The robbers left the man for dead by the wayside. In telling this story Jesus pictured an extreme case of need. Showing mercy to those in need is one of the most basic requirements God makes of us. 

On purpose Jesus did not say who this man was who was robbed. In light of the question “who is my Neighbour”, this is meaningful. Jesus did not want to get stuck in a pat definition. The neighbour is more than the man or woman who lives next door. A neighbour is more than someone from within your own little circle or one of your own nationality or ethnicity.

The first person on the scene was a priest. He gave the beaten up man a quick glance and walked on. Did this priest not realize that this man needed help? Of course he did. Nevertheless he continued on his way. He went to other side of the road. The priest deliberately avoided any possibility of contact.  Shortly thereafter a Levite came by and did the same thing. 

Jesus did not offer any explanation for the behaviour of these men. He merely focussed on what these men did. That was the question at the beginning, remember? What must I do to inherit everlasting life?

The priest and that other man did some-thing, alright. They drew the line. They lived within their own circular world just like the man who asked Jesus the question. They set a boundary for themselves and concluded that the man who lay dying was not one from their circle. He was not their neighbour so they did not offer any help. They just did not want to get involved with this man who was not one of their own. They drew up the line of exclusion even in a situation of dire need.

Then Jesus continued with the parable to show what true charity is like. He introduced a Samaritan, something his hearers would not have expected. For you see, Jews and Samaritans were not friends. They did not act neighbourly. They were not from the same circle. But Jesus used this man as the example of neighbourliness. While the priest and the Levite lacked any sense of human decency and compassion toward the dying man, the Samaritan did what the other two did not do. He showed compassion. He refused to draw a line. He saw someone in need and acted. He came to that man’ aid. He stepped outside his circle. 

This good Samaritan dressed the man' s wounds, brought him to the nearest inn and looked after him. He did not say: Here’ where my responsibility ends. He kept vigil throughout the night. In the morning he paid the innkeeper enough money to look after the wounded man for a month. He even promised to pick up the tab on his return trip if necessary. What more could the Samaritan have done? The expert in the law had asked the mere academic question: ”And who is my neighbour?”   What is your definition? After the parable was finished Jesus asked him, ”Which of the three proved to be a neighbour to the man?”   What other answer could the lawyer give than “the one who had mercy on him”.  Jesus put the spotlight on the one who showed love and compassion by saying, ”Go and do likewise”.

What Jesus emphasized is this: The question is not who your neighbour is, but   are you a neighbour?

The Samaritan was the man who came into the beaten man’s neighbourhood. The lawyer asked: Who is my neighbour? Christ replied:  Be a neighbour, and the moment you are a neighbourly person, you will find your neighbour in the man or woman who needs your help. 

That is why this lawyer received to both his questions the answer: Do this and you will live. Go do likewise.

The exchange began with the question: What must I do to be saved? The answer is: We cannot do anything to be saved. Salvation is from God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is by grace alone. But knowledge of salvation and experiencing God’s love finds expression in how we treat each other. The requirement is: Be a neighbour. Love God, and love your neighbours as yourself.

  G. Nederveen

  Burlington, ON