When asked: ‘Who is my neighbour?’ Jesus Christ replied by telling the story of the Good Samaritan instead of giving a direct answer.
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The Parable of the Good Samaritan: An expert of the law approached Jesus and asked, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" (Luke 10:25). Rather than giving him a straight answer, Jesus asked him what was written in the Law. The lawyer replied correctly, "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 love your neighbour as yourself." (Luke 10:27) However the lawyer asked a second question, "Who is my neighbour?" (Luke 10:29)
Instead of giving a direct answer, Jesus replied by telling him the story of the Good Samaritan. A traveller going from Jerusalem to Jericho came upon thieves. They took his clothes, beat him and left him for dead. The man lay there, desperately in need of help. He was passed by two people who were expected to help, a priest and a Levite, religious leaders of the day. If anyone was going to help a dying man, it would be them. But in this case both of them avoided the man and passed by on the other side of the road. Later a Samaritan came he bound up his wounds, took him to an inn, and made sure he was cared for until fully recovered.
Historical Background
Under Saul, David and Solomon, from 1050-930 B.C., Israel had been a united kingdom. But after these three kings Israel was divided into two, the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
In 722 B.C., Sargon the king of Assyria captured the Northern Kingdom. Many Israelites were carried away as captives. People of other nations came and settled in Samaria. Intermarriage took place and this resulted in a mixed race. The mixed people came to be called Samaritans. Their religion was also corrupted by idol worship which was introduced by the outsiders who settled in Samaria.
The Jews despised the Samaritans. As centuries passed by, the Jews and the Samaritans moved farther and farther apart and then they became hostile enemies. There might have been open war between them during the time of Jesus. But the entire province was under Romans rule and they were afraid of the Romans. Jews considered the Samaritans as spiritually unclean. Jews will not use or touch any article that belongs to the Samaritans. Jews will not walk in the land of the Samaritans. If they are compelled to set foot on the land owned by a Samaritan, they will take off their shoes and shake off the dust as soon as they have crossed over it.
The road from Jerusalem to Jericho was dangerous. It was narrow and rocky with sharp turnings. It was the perfect hunting ground for robbers and brigands. People travelled in convoys for safety. Even in the 1930s, people were warned to get home before dark because of a certain Abu Jildah who rob travellers and escape before the police arrived. So, in a way the traveller was foolish in travelling alone and has only himself to blame for what happened to him on the road to Jericho.
What it means to be a neighbour
After telling the parable, Jesus asked the lawyer, "Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" (Luke 20:36). The lawyer answered correctly that it was the Samaritan that had truly been a neighbour unto the man. Jesus told him that he should go and conduct himself in a similar way.
The meaning of “neighbour” which we learned from the parable of the Good Samaritan:
1. Any person of any nation who is in need is our neighbour. It is not the geographical location or living next door that makes one a neighbour.
2. We are to help even those who brought trouble upon themselves instead of thinking they got what they deserved.
3. The priest and the Levite must have felt pity on the wounded man. But that is not enough. Real compassion must issue in action.
Who are our neighbours today? Holdup victims, testifying in a court of law fearlessly for the sake of justice, victims of accident or natural disasters, the drunkards, the drug addicts, people dying of hunger due to poverty, girls and women in the sex trade due to compelling situations in their lives, people with incurable diseases like HIV/AIDS, orphans, and those neglected by society.
We are called to minister to people’s spiritual needs, but at the same time, we must sensitive toward their other physical difficulties and needs. In doing these noble things, we may not be appreciated by the world or our beneficiaries, but to be a good neighbour to another person in need, who too is the image of God, just like you and I, is our reward.
Selie Visa