The "Good Samaritan" helped, When a certain man fell among thieves.

While others just passed on by, He stopped to tend to his needs.

Our world, like the "Good Samaritan's, Is filled with those in need.

The Fatherless, The Hungry, and so on, Who wait for a "Good Samaritan" indeed.

Jesus said that we should do likewise, As the "Good Samaritan" in his day.

To stretch forth a helping hand, To all who have fallen along life's way.

(John Marinelli)

        “The  Parable  of  the  Good  Samaritan”  is  one  of  the most  familiar parables of  Jesus Christ. Though, the word “good”  is not written with the word  “Samaritan”  in  the  text,  but  he  is  called  ‘Good  Samaritan” because of his compassionate attitude.       This  parable has not  only  inspired  painting,  sculpture, poetry,  and film, but above all this parable has always been a motivating force for Christians to help the needy.  And today many hospitals and charitable organizations are named after the Good Samaritan.  As we read or listen to this parable, we come to know that while a dialogue was going on between Jesus and a teacher of the law, Jesus narrated the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Now, in this whole passage, we also read about few questions.

• Jesus asked three questions to the teacher of the law. • Teacher of the law asked two questions to Jesus.

First question which was asked to Jesus by the teacher of the law was: “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

Now, he asked this question in order to trap Jesus. Question itself was a good question, but the intention behind was wrong.     Jesus  did  not  respond  with  the  same  confrontational  attitude.  Jesus referred the questioner to the Word of God by asking:  

 

"What is written in the Law?" … "How do you read it?"    means 

“What do the Scriptures say? How do you interpret them?”  

   Teacher of the law was familiar with the Word of God, so he quoted from Deut. & Lev.  Deuteronomy 6:4 

שמ ע ישראל יהוה אלהינו יהוה אח ד ,     ואהבת את יהוה אלהיך בכל- לבבך ובכל- נפשך ובכל-מאדך ,(& with all your strength)     (& with all your soul)        (with all your heart)        (The Lord your God)    (And you shall love)  

 

Leviticus 19:18 “love your neighbor as yourself”.  

   As that teacher of the law gave this answer, Jesus said to him:  

"You have answered correctly,"   "Do this and you will live."  

    But then, in order to justify himself he asked Jesus another question. His second question was: 

“Who is my neighbor?” Now, this question was not a good question. It was an improper question, because teacher of the law was trying to exclude responsibility for others by making some people “non-neighbors”. So a more appropriate question would be,

“How can I be a loving neighbor?”    

 I. THE ATTITUDE OF THE THIEVES  

Luke 10: 30 reveals something about those thieves.   Jesus said:  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. 

• They did not regard human life. To them others were simply objects of exploitation and gain. They did not only take his belongings but injured that man & left him half dead.

• Today, we say that we are not like that robbers. But we have to understand that we can be guilty of injuring others in many different ways:

When a person schemes or sows seeds of discord; or maligns someone or takes advantage of someone’s naivety, that person is guilty of injuring others.

Those thieves were guilty of covetousness!

Covetous persons do not labor to achieve success. Rather, they prey upon the weaknesses of others and seize what doesn’t belong to them. 

 

A covetous attitude says:  “This  is a greed‐filled world, so  I have  to seize what I can before someone else seizes what I have.” 

 

A covetous attitude says: “Let others work then I’ll step in and take over.” 

Listen to what God says about a cunning, covetousness spirit in Proverbs 21:6: “A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare.”

We must guard against covetousness, lest we fall in this category.   II. THE ATTITUDE OF THE PRIEST AND LEVITE  

In the parable we read that this event took place while a man was going from Jerusalem to Jericho. • Jerusalem is 2100 feet above sea level & today Jericho road that connects Jerusalem & Jericho is 17 miles long. In these 17 miles, this

road drops about 3000 feet because Jericho is situated more than 800 feet below sea level.

• At the time of Jesus, people of Judea & Galilee used to travel on this road because they used to avoid traveling through Samaria due to their hatred towards the Samaritans. They used to travel on Jericho road which was a very dangerous & difficult route & was known as "Way of Blood/ bloody pass". Even in the 19th century people had to pay passage money to local sheiks.

In Luke 10:31-32 it is written: “A Priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.”

Both priest & Levite, they were able to help that man but they did not help him. Now, reason is not given that why they did not help that needy person. Probably they had their own excuses.

1. Perhaps  both  of  them  they  thought  that  the  robbers  are  still around. 

2. Or  it  is  possible  that  they  considered  that  man  as  one  of  the robbers who was doing acting in order to seize them. 

3. Perhaps they thought about Num. 19: 11 "Whoever touches the dead body of anyone will be unclean for seven days.”

   But that man was not dead. We read in Luke 10:30 “They (Robbers) stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.”  

Both Priest & Levite did not even bother to see whether the man was dead or not. They had excuses. Perhaps  both  of  them,  they  asked  to themselves the same question: 

"If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?"

   Dear readers, the world we live in, the Jericho Road is always with us. The  Jericho Road  is any place where  there  is violence;  it  is any place where there  is oppression; where people are robbed of their dignity / their love / their food & their freedom.  

   The Jericho road is any place where there are natural disasters in the form of floods/earthquakes/landslides.      We are called to help the people in need, not to neglect them.    III. THE ATTITUDE OF THE SAMARITAN   Jews regarded Samaritans as their enemy. Samaritans had their own Temple on Mt. Gerizim before Christian Era & they had many disputes with the Jews. Probably, the man who was beaten by the robbers was a Jew. But he was half dead/ unable to speak.  

  When that Samaritan saw him, he helped him in every way.  

1. He took pity on him (Showed compassion). 2. He bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. 3. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an  inn and took care of him. 

4. The next day he  took out  two  silver  coins  and  gave  them  to  the innkeeper.  'Look  after  him,'  he  said,  'and  when  I  return,  I  will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.' 

Samaritan showed pity, compassionate love & courage. He put his own life in danger & gave full care to that needy person.

When Jesus finished narrating parable, he asked teacher of the Law: "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"  

means Which of these three do you think proved to a neighbor/good neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?      The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."(Notice: he did not say Samaritan)   Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise." 

Today we are called to show the same attitude of compassionate love.

Question for thinking/mediating is not that “Who is my neighbor?” Rather we must ask ourselves this question “How I can be a good neighbor to someone else who is in need?” ___________________________________________________