Luke 10:25-37

10:25 Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

10:26 He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?"

10:27 He answered, "You shall 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 your neighbor as yourself."

10:28 And he said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live."

10:29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

10:30 Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead.

10:31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

10:32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

10:33 But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity.

10:34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

10:35 The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, 'Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.'

10:36 Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?"

10:37 He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

From a very reliable source there is a story about my dad. He, when asked, will not talk about it. Born in the early 20’s he is from a generation that is generally reluctant to verbalize their feelings, and this event could only illicit painful memories. Therefore, it comes under his unspoken heading of, “Things not open for discussion”. What happen was my dad lived out the story that Jesus told some two thousand years ago in response to the question, “What does it look like to love my neighbor?”

We know the story Jesus told by its name, The Good Samaritan. Found in Luke 10, Jesus describes how far the love of God in us is to reach out. Our general understanding of loving our neighbor is that it encompasses our family, friends, and associates. But Jesus, as always, takes our understanding and goes further. He insists we go deeper into God’s heart when we seek answers to all questions, but especially questions that deal with how we are to be with each other.

In the Good Samaritan story a man is brutally mugged and left on the side of the road to die. The road in the story is the busy connection between the two large cities of Jericho and Jerusalem. It is used by traders, merchants, shoppers and people who work at the Temple which is the center of life for the religious community. All those who pass the unconscious victim keep going, but Jesus chooses to call his audience attention to Temple workers who not only pass by, they actually cross the road to get as far away as possible from this man in need.

Jesus’ original audience would have been sympathetic to the religious men. After all, these religious folks are heading toward Jerusalem purified according to the laws of the church for the work of the church. If they touch this man and he is dead, then they would be unclean and could not perform the work of the church in the Temple. As Godly people, these religious folks do the right thing to pass by the stranger according to God’s own instructions as revealed in the earliest written Word.

Jesus, in his beloved story about the Good Samaritan seeks to reveal more of the heart of God and turns upside down then, and now, our misunderstanding of what it correctly looks like to be religious. Jesus tells us that to express the love of God our focus is not to be on religious or secular duty, but instead, we are to express our love for God through how we treat each other.

In Jesus’ story, a nameless man from Samaria comes to the aid of the victim. He does not fear touching him. He dresses the wounds with expensive ointments, then lifts the injured man on his own horse and proceeds to walk the stranger to an Inn where he continues to care him. Think about it, the Samaritan could have stopped much sooner than this and still have been extravagant in caring for a stranger. But he doesn’t stop. He goes on to leave money for the care of the stranger, and adds that if more money is spent for the care in his absence, he will be good for it. The point is: the Good Samaritan is not trying to do his duty. He did not have religious obligation on his mind. The point is he is not aware of duty at all. Instead of weighing the cost or counting up the value of his giving, he is just being. Today we might say he was being the Hands of Christ.

My dad had a strangely similar opportunity to be the Hands of Christ in the early 70’s. According to the only witness, my mother, they were on their way to the airport so Dad could catch a plane on business. It was morning rush hour on one of the busiest and most dangerous four lanes in Charlotte, North Carolina. Mom was driving for easy airport drop-off and Dad was riding shotgun. He saw up ahead what appeared to be a body lying motionless next to a motorcycle on the side of the road. It took a little distance beyond the frightening scene to safely pull over and come to a stop with all the cars and people hurrying past. As Mom drove off to go call for help, Dad stayed behind.

To say this was far beyond his comfort zone is an understatement. It would be beyond most of our comfort zones. Dad had total distain for motorcycles. He thought the drivers to be foolish for taking such risks. He did not like the site of blood and what he loved and valued beside God, Country and his family included his work, his travel, and his suites. All these strong characteristics of self identification were forgotten that day. I don’t know if it crossed his mind, as we don’t talk about it, but what I do know is that on that day, he became my hero, and not only mine, but God’s.

He was living the story that Jesus told some two thousand years ago, when someone asked him to define, “Love your neighbor”. You see, there Dad sat on the ground, his suite covered in blood and dirt, his plane taking off, his meeting missed and he held a man he did not know as he went from Dad’s comforting arms to God’s loving embrace. Dad was not performing his religious or civic duty. Dad was living out God’s definition of loving our neighbor.

Most of us will not be presented with such an extreme neighborly call. Our opportunities come in smaller portions. But God offers us chances all day long to be the loving neighbors we were created to be. It’s just that we are all in a rush to get to the next thing that we miss the chances to be his hands and heart.

The Reverend Dee Shaffer, Vicar
Our Savior at Honey Creek
Spiritual Care Director Heartland Hospice