The first thing I notice about the story of the Good Samaritan is that the question that prompts this parable is the exact same question the person known as the Rich Young Ruler asked Jesus: What must I do to inherit eternal life? Yet, Jesus’ answer to the two individuals is different. When the so called Rich Young Ruler asked Jesus this question, Jesus told him to go and sell all his stuff and follow him. To the Expert in the Law Jesus says that as long as he loves the Lord with all his heart, soul, strength, and mind and his neighbor as himself that he’ll be okay. Kinda makes you wonder what Jesus knew about the hearts of these two individuals that he answers them the way he did, doesn’t it? After all – it was the same question! Why didn’t he tell the Expert in the Law to go sell all his stuff and give it to the poor? Why didn’t he tell the Rich Young Ruler that as long as he loved the Lord and his neighbor as himself that he’d be okay? I don’t know, but knowing Jesus, I have no doubt that he had a reason.
In response to what Jesus tells him the Expert in the Law asks, “Who is my neighbor?” I used to think he was trying to be slick – looking for a loophole as it were. But, now, I think this guy was actually concerned about this: Who is my neighbor? It’s a question I think more of us should be asking. It is in response to this question that Jesus tells the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
The next thing that’s interesting about the story itself is that it appears to be a story about a Samaritan being kind to a Jew. Why wasn’t it just some random Jew on the street helping the guy out? Why wasn’t it a Jew helping out a Samaritan who had been beaten and robbed? Was that really so unthinkable? Well, actually, the story doesn’t tell us if the Crime Victim is a Jew or not. The only thing that we’re told is that he was a man travelling from Jericho to Jerusalem. The fact that he was travelling in this area certainly doesn’t tell us that he was a Jew because the Good Samaritan was travelling in the same area. Somewhere along the way the man was robbed, beaten, his clothes stolen, and left half dead in the street. The story doesn’t tell us if the Crime Victim was a good man, bad man, married, single, if he had kids, if he was a rich man, or a poor man. It just says this poor guy was laying naked and beaten in the street. If the Good Samaritan hadn’t happened along he probably would have died.
We all know how the Religious Establishment treated the guy – they put their noses up in the air and crossed the street. They probably thought to themselves, “Well, I’ve got mine, so who cares about that guy who is naked in the street? He probably deserves to be there. “ But, I’m not concerned about them. I’m concerned about the behavior of the Good Samaritan.
The Good Samaritan happened upon this guy – that he did not know from a hole in the wall – and helped him out. He saw a need, had the ability to help, and he helped. Period. He did not say, “Let’s form a committee to discuss what we should do to help this individual.” He also did not say, “Let’s establish some guidelines to determine if this individual is actually worthy of help.” He also didn’t say, “I’m gonna ask him if he has kids because somehow only people with kids are worthy of help.” I don’t see anywhere in the Gospels where Jesus gives us the authority to determine who is worthy and who isn’t. Actually, it often seems to me, that the more unworthy a person seems in the eyes of society the more worthy Jesus believes them to be.
The Good Samaritan treated the crime victim’s immediate need – his injuries (and probably got him some clothes but Jesus doesn’t tell us that). Then, the Good Samaritan took the Crime Victim some place that he would be safe. He did not take this person – that he did not know from a hole in the wall – into his home. The Crime Victim was a stranger. He could have been dangerous. The Good Samaritan didn’t use that as an excuse to not get involved, but he also was wise to exercise some caution. I don’t think they had homeless shelters or even hospitals in 30 AD, so the Good Samaritan took the Crime Victim to an inn. The Good Samaritan continued to take care of the Crime Victim at the inn. Jesus doesn’t tell us how long the Good Samaritan stayed with the Crime Victim at the inn. He just says he took care of him there (vs 34). I think he probably just got him settled, got him some provisions, and maybe got a doctor to take a look at him. But, then when the Good Samaritan had to leave – he probably had a family and/or a job somewhere – he gives money to the inn keeper, asks him to look after the Crime Victim, and says that he’ll reimburse any additional expenses he has when he returns.
The Good Samaritan did not just throw a little money at the problem and go on his merry way. He did not say, “Well, I’m going to throw a little money toward helping out this piece of scum here because my religion says that’s what I’m supposed to do.”
The Good Samaritan specifically said he was going to come back. He was going to come back and make sure that the inn keeper didn’t chuck the Crime Victim back into the street the minute the Good Samaritan was gone. He was going to come back and see what else he could do to help the Crime Victim get back up on his feet. He became invested in the Crime Victim’s life and well-being. By his actions he said loud and clear to the inn keeper, and anyone else who might have been standing around observing what was going on, “This person matters. He is a human being created in the very image of God, and therefore, his life is precious.”
The Parable of The Good Samaritan ends with Jesus telling the Expert in the Law to go and do the same as the Good Samaritan had done. What exactly had the Good Samaritan done? Well, he actually did pretty much all the things that Jesus lists as the standard by which the sheep and the goats will be judged in Matthew 25. In the Parable of The Good Samaritan Jesus gives us a practical example of someone caring for the sick, providing shelter for a stranger (a functionally homeless person), feeding the hungry, and clothing the naked.
The last thing I notice about the story of the Good Samaritan is that Jesus doesn’t tell us that the Good Samaritan went and shouted in the streets about what he had done. He did not go bragging to all of his family, friends, and church members about it. He did not write blog posts announcing what he had done to help the Crime Victim and inviting everyone to take notice of how great and wonderful he was. Actually, based on what Jesus says about that kind of behavior in Matthew 6: 1-4, I’m 99.99999999% sure he did not do that. He didn’t do it for any kind of personal glory, or even with the expectation of gratitude. Actually, the really last thing I notice about the story is that Jesus never mentions the Crime Victim thanking the Good Samaritan. The Good Samaritan did what he did for no other reason than it was the right thing to do.
