Dean Williams April 30, 2020
“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.” (Luke 10:30-34)
This parable was spoken by Jesus as a response to the question, “Who is my neighbor?” The question was posed by a fellow Jew, one who would have been in complete shock when he heard the parable. You see, it was common knowledge that the Jews and Samaritans absolutely hated each other. Here, Jesus directly attacks and dismantles that culturally held norm. He does so by communicating two things: (1) our acts of compassion should not be confined solely to those who we consider to be in our inner circle; and (2) our love and care for those around us should be evidenced by volitional acts of engagement, which might include addressing the immediate needs of those around us who might be experiencing some form of distress. There are two quick insights to offer here:
First, regarding lesson #1, “Our acts of compassion should not be confined solely to those who we consider to be in our inner circle”: In this parable, Jesus dramatically drives home this point by noting it was a Samaritan, not a priest (whose job it was to intercede for his people), nor a Levite (who was called to assist the priest in his duty to serve the people), but one who was completely outside the accepted circle of friends, family, and associates.
Secondly, regarding lesson #2, “Our love and care for those around us should be evidenced by volitional acts of engagement, which might include addressing the immediate needs of those around us who might be experiencing some form of distress”: In this parable, the Jewish victim had an immediate need for medical care. Not only did the Samaritan man attempt to address the man’s physical needs by first tending to them himself, but he also provided his own personal resources; his oil, wine, money, and his ride (donkey). It would be fair to say that the Samaritan’s actions were sacrificial in nature. After all, he was going against the norm of his day, and this could have subjected him to both the ire of those around him and a loss of resources which he could have used for his own benefit or pleasure.
Today, I would like us to consider two thoughts that are related to this parable. First, we should be able to see ourselves as the victim in this parable, not because we were members of God’s covenant community and were rescued by an outsider. Clearly, that is not the case for most of us (Gentiles). But because we were in desperate need of being rescued from the wrath of God and the unending ravages of sin in our lives. Sin stripped and beat us out of any hope of being reconciled to God. But the good news, the Scriptures tell us, is that while we were yet sinners, our neighbor and friend, Jesus, died for us. He sacrificed himself on our behalf, giving up the greatest resource in existence, life itself (Phil. 2:5-8). And because of his actions, we have been made whole.
The second thing I would like us to consider is our response to what Christ has done for us, and how this parable should guide that response. To do this, let me first refer you back to Philippians 2:5, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.” Exactly what mind or mindset was the apostle Paul alluding to here? The answer is found in the preceding verses which state, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” These verses describe the mindset that contributed to Jesus’ ministry to the poor, the broken hearted, the special needs community, and to many who were bound in the irremovable chains of sin. It ultimately resulted in the greatest act of sacrifice in the history of mankind, Christ’s death on the Cross.
For us, this mindset should be accompanied by a heart filled with gratitude, recognizing that we fit the description, spiritually and otherwise, of every area of need that Jesus lovingly and sacrificially addressed. This, in turn, should prompt us to clothe ourselves with the same mindset of service and sacrifice, while asking the question, “How now should we live and serve?” Well, I am glad you asked. In the coming weeks and months, we can expect to see, and experience, the negative consequences associated with the current pandemic. Many will have suffered the loss of their jobs. Familial strains and hostilities are commonplace right now and might be even more prevalent in the days to come. Post-traumatic stress related emotions will start to manifest themselves in some who suffered in ways disproportionate to what most of us either have, or will have experienced during the pandemic (health, family, unable to grieve for or bury loved ones, job, finances…). What we have before us is a COVID-19 Samaritan call to be a blessing to those around us, to be the hands and feet of Christ, to a lost and dying, and now physically ailing, world.
As we consider these things, I echo an inspired voice from the past, Mordecai (Esther 4:14b), saying, “And who knows whether we have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” I pray our joint response will be to strategically, or even clumsily, map out ways in which we can be the Lord’s hands and feet in just “such a time as this.”