Show Notes
In this fifth week of “Ordinary” (or “Normal”) time, we reflect on Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan and how God calls us to love the marginalized, and even our enemies, in our daily lives.
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Episode Transcript
In this fifth week after Pentecost, we pause to reflect that the Holy Spirit comes not only to empower us, but also, if you will, to empathize us, to grow in us the fruits of the Godhead, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control, such that we move in compassion and love toward those in need, whether they agree with us or not. Come Holy Spirit, empathize us.
A reading from Luke’s chapter 10, beginning in verse 25.
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[c]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii 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.’
36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Isn’t it ironic, but at the same time, also so fallenly human that what it means to be a good neighbor currently causes so much division. Concern for some seems to alienate us from others without dismissing or diminishing the importance of issues like immigration for one moment. I suspect some of the heat in that debate could be alleviated if we all spent a little more time considering how we treat our own neighbors instead of policing how others treat theirs. Wherever you stand on the subject of open or closed borders, would you come to the aid of someone who vehemently disagreed with you on the topic if they were in obvious need? The Good Samaritan in Jesus’ parable could have justified ignoring the injured man lying at the side of the road by figuring that he brought his predicament on himself. After all, the highway between Jerusalem and Jericho was notoriously dangerous and only a fool would venture out alone, carrying a lot of valuables, but he didn’t judge. He simply saw a need and responded. It’s worth noting too, that the victim wasn’t asking for help. The good Samaritan initiated the encounter because he had eyes out for those around him. Like the Good Samaritan, we pass people every day on our way to our next appointment. Many of them, like the victim, have been beaten and bruised in some way, though their wounds may not be so obvious. They may have had something stolen from them in some manner. They are in need. Are they like us? And do we like them? That doesn’t matter. The question is, will we stop and move toward them to offer help without needing to know why and how they ended up in that predicament?
The 82nd Psalm:
God presides in the great assembly;
he renders judgment among the “gods”:
“How long will you defend the unjust
and show partiality to the wicked?
Defend the weak and the fatherless;
uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.
Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
“The ‘gods’ know nothing, they understand nothing.
They walk about in darkness;
all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
“I said, ‘You are “gods”;
you are all sons of the Most High.’
But you will die like mere mortals;
you will fall like every other ruler.”
Rise up, O God, judge the earth,
for all the nations are your inheritance.
Let’s join the sisters of the Good Samaritan in praying the following:
God of love, may we always see the world through the eyes of the good Samaritan and be filled with your deep compassion. Help us to be merciful neighbors, even when it’s inconvenient, when we don’t have time or when we have other responsibilities to attend to. Grant us the insight to see the need in those around us, the wisdom to know how to respond and the strength to do so willingly. We pray for those we might cross the road to avoid: the poor, the vulnerable, and the marginalized. Those who in many and various ways have been stripped, beaten, and left for dead. We pray for all who call from us more than we feel we have to give. Open our eyes that we may not cross the road from a human in need. May our love of you and love of our neighbor call us to be people of peace and justice in the world. And may we, like the good Samaritan, always “go and do likewise.” Amen.
