So, What About The Good Samaritan? – Part 2

In our look at Part 1 of the story of The Good Samaritan, we saw that the story was a response to a religious leader who was attempting to justify himself in the eyes of the Law. Although religious, he did not come to Jesus as to The Christ, but as one still under the condemnation of the Law – an unbeliever. Thus, there is nothing in the story that directly addresses our responsibility, as disciples, to proclaim the Gospel.
Does that mean that disciples can’t learn anything about expressing God’s mercy through the story of the Good Samaritan. I think we can. But we must be clear about the path to those conclusions.

So, what connection can we make between a story addressed to an unbeliever, and our responsibility as believers? Well, the connection is theological, not textual. We begin with the recognition that, as disciples, we are no longer under obligation to the Law. That has been satisfied in Christ. But the character of God revealed through the Law, which condemned us as unbelievers, is the same character that we are now being transformed into, as believers. So, now we love, not in pursuit of justification, but because we desire to reflect God’s character.

Toward that end, we can conclude that, “We reflect God’s character (love our neighbor) by showing mercy to those whom we encounter who are in need.”

As I begin to think about personal application, I begin to feel overwhelmed, and several questions spring to mind. “What about all of the homeless people on the corners, begging for money? Should I be giving every one of them money?  WAIT! . . . If I follow the example of the Samaritan, do I have to do more than give them money? Do I take them to a hotel and pay for their room AND board until they get back on their feet? How long will that take? How can I do this for one person, much less all that I pass in a week? And there are many areas where the principle might apply.  What about . . .?”

You may have felt similar questions. Before we get sucked into death-spiral, lets look closer at the example of loving our neighbor in the story. Several things stand out:

  • It was inconvenient. The Samaritan inconvenienced himself in order to show mercy to the victim. He didn’t schedule it so that if fit his life.
  • It was persistent and messy. He didn’t just make a contribution, he made sure the need was fully resolved. Mercy often requires more than random acts of kindness. It requires ongoing involvement that is messy and complicated.
  • It was personal. The focus was the individual, not some larger cause which that individual represented. The Samaritan did not organize citizen patrols; didn’t lobby the government; or set up emergency aid stations. His whole focus was the beaten man and his needs.
  • It was not utilitarian. The focus was the need of the individual, not leveraging his need to accomplish a larger agenda, even if that agenda is getting them to come to church, or listen to a presentation.  Mercy is its own end.
  • Beggars were common in the 1st Century. If Jesus’ concern was cultural issues like poverty, he could have easily used stories of actual beggars whom the lawyer would have regularly encountered. He didn’t. The man in need in his story had needs of a different sort. Yet, Jesus doesn’t tell us why he chose this example, so, we must be content not to press this very far.

Some clarifications –

  • This does not imply that you shouldn’t volunteer time at a rescue mission or some other cause. That can only be answered by God’s unique agenda for you. But loving our neighbor goes well beyond that.
  • If we are involved in those things, but ignore people we encounter in the course of our lives, we are missing the larger point.

Ultimately, we must remember that the passage was given to address a different issue than the questions we are asking of it. So, while we may be able to learn things about reflecting Christ’s love as disciples, we must not press it to answer questions it does not address. Doing so runs the risk of imposing our agenda over God’s.

In the end, it seems best to be content with the observation that we love our neighbor by showing mercy to those whom we encounter who are in need. Such mercy will be inconvenient, persistent, messy, and personal.

As for the unanswered questions, we will have to look to other passages. Perhaps a quick look at Jesus’ example in this area will give us some insight. . . next week.