What a story.....

 First the question. When we hear the lawyer ask Jesus, "What must I do to inherit eternal life," we are apt to think he is asking about what will happen when he dies, whether heaven or hell. That is our frame of reference in the 21st century, something we inherited from the late Middle Ages. This is not what the lawyer had in mind.

He was asking what in our language would be something like: "How do I live a full and satisfying life, a blessed life like God intends for me?" In the Jewish frame of reference (we see it in the Hebrew Scriptures or Old Testament), the blessings of God consisted of long life, good health, many children, a loving wife and a fruitful harvest -- much like our own desires. So he's asking how is that possible? How do I live so as to inherit those promises of God?

Jesus, Luke tells us, does not give a philosophical or academic answer. Rather he tells what we now call the story of the Good Samaritan and asks the lawyer, who was doing what God asked of him? who was his neighbor whom he was commanded by God to love and care for?

Even here, we are conditioned by our contemporary culture to see this story without some of the powerful imagery which is there. We get some of it but perhaps not all. We hear that a priest walked by, and that we think is terrible for after all, clergy are supposed to help, and in our name. That is why we called them to serve the parish, isn't it? What we miss here (and I am not trying to justify clergy!) is that fact that the priest was aware he would become "unclean" by touching someone who was bloodied and dirty by the side of the road. And if that happened, he could not offer the daily sacrifice in the Temple without an elaborate cleansing ritual. Even in today's world, clergy are apt to think they have more important things to do than get involved in a messy situation.

Then a Levite walked by. That is a church leader in our terms, someone who is active and known as a solid member of the Church, one of the elders. He also didn't want to get involved. He too had more important things to do, and aren't there people who are supposed to take care of such persons in need, people trained to do that?

Along comes a Samaritan. Now the Samaritans and the Jews were like the "colored" and the "good ole boys" in the Southern United States several decades ago. Here was Bubba beaten up and suffering in the ditch, and this black man stops to help him. Get the picture? That is the feeling of the parable in 1st century culture. The Samaritan takes the time to help Bubba, and uses his talents to bandage up the wounds and relieving the suffering. Then he puts Bubba in his mode of transportation (car for us, horse or mule then) and takes him to an inn where he stayed with him and looked after him. The next day, he has to leave and he gives what in our terms would be two days wages to the innkeeper to cover any further costs as Bubba recovers. Even more, he tells the innkeeper on his way back he will stop and pay the bill if there is more expense.

Jesus asks the lawyer: which of these three fulfilled the law of Moses to love our neighbor as ourself (Deut 19:18)? "The one who had compassion on the victim," the lawyer answers. To which the Lord responds: "Go and do the same."

The point of the story: if we want to live a full and satisfying life which God intends for us, we have to live compassionately using our time, talents and treasure not only for our own basic needs, but also to meet the needs of those who are suffering whom we encounter on our journey. Of course, we know from Matthew's Gospel (Mt. 25:31-46) that the Lord will see if we have lived that way when the Last Judgment comes. Meanwhile, go and live thusly.

Joseph+