Outside of the series finale of Seinfeld, we don’t hear much about Good Samaritan Laws these days – laws that make it a crime not to help someone in need if you see something happening and can render assistance. In some towns it’s not just a good idea to NOT be a selfish prick and ignore, or laugh at, other peoples’ distress – it’s the law. Setting aside for the moment what it says about us that we feel the need to police this behavior, is it such a crazy idea to look out for each other? Treat folks as you would have them treat you? Sounds simple enough.
Let’s dig into that Good Samaritan parable just for the halibut. 🐟 Remember the fellows who walk by before the Samaritan comes along? Who were they again? You can look it up, but it was a priest followed by a Levite (assistant to the priest) who just walked on by after seeing the poor traveler, clearly a member of their faith community, robbed, beaten, and bleeding in the ditch by the road to Jericho. A nice detail of the parable is that both of these officers of the church cross to the other side of the road.
“Who is my neighbor?”
That’s the question that kicks off the story and a good one. The Bible says the asker wants to “justify himself”, which I take to mean he seeks guidelines or limits, a short list of who’s in and who’s out, maybe, around the idea of “love your neighbor as yourself”. But then Jesus tells the parable, turns the question around, flips the script, and blows everyone’s minds by asking which of the travelers demonstrated what it means to be a good neighbor.
Yes, AND of course the best neighbor is the Samaritan, a stranger, an outsider, someone not-from-around-here, who shows true compassion, while the others, knowing but not doing better, live forever in the parable universe as examples of craven hypocrisy.
Now the question, “who is my neighbor?” has new urgency. Millions on the move around the globe, homes lost, lives shattered, futures eviscerated. So many travelers on the road to Jericho, so many beaten and bleeding in the ditch. We’re tempted to ask for justification, to set limits, to thin the ranks of those eligible for compassion.
We might even welcome someone to tell us it’s OK to cross to the other side of the road. Not just OK – necessary and good. That the priest and the Levite are the real heroes of the story, and should be applauded for making tough decisions, while the Samaritan is a sucker – a loser, who’ll never get back those two denarii he gave to the innkeeper for the wounded man’s care.
I’m pretty sure that’s not what Jesus meant.
Here’s my take. The point of the Good Samaritan parable is, whoever you think your neighbor is or should be, you are everyone’s neighbor.
Think about what it means to be a good neighbor.
Think about how blessed you are if calamity never darkens your door.
Think about how grateful you’ll be for help – from a neighbor – if it does.
Then go and do the same.
–OP 03/22/24
Summary Judgements by Officer Phil 