Bad Priest, Good Samaritan?

The experts in the law had some good questions they asked- even if they were, most times, trying to trick Jesus into something. Luke 10:25-37 has one of these questions. An expert in the law stands up (no surprise, but to test Jesus), he asks how he can share in the eternal salvation of the Messiah's kingdom. Jesus is smart enough to not just shove an answer down his throat, so he asks the law expert what pr

"You must 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"

Jesus says "okay, do this and you'll have no worries about enjoying endless life in the Kingdom of God. But this man wanted to justify himself - he probably knew in his heart that he definitely didn't love everyone as himself- so he'd better make sure his "neighbors" were a select, small group of people.

No luck there; Jesus tells the parable of the good Samaritan. A half-dead man was on the side of the road, both a priest and Levite walked around him, bu the Samaritan stopped and helped him to his fullest extent. Jesus asks :which of these was a neighbor to that man?" The expert knew it was the one who "had mercy on him". You know he has the right answer because Jesus says, "go and do likewise".

You see, sometimes we are awfully good about loving our friends in church- we smile and run up, saying "hug", and that's just dandy- maybe love, probably not. But it isn't just other Christians who are our neighbors. The significance of the Samaritan? Years and years on rivalry and strife separated these two groups. They did not like each other...at all. I read an article about the Samaritans here, it said this: "At the mention of the Samaritan, Judean listeners would have bristled, rejected the plot, and quit the story, in spite of their initial inclination to give it as sympathetic hearing." Likewise if any Samaritans were in listening range they would have been revolted by the way a Samaritan helped out a Jew. Jesus sure knew how to tell uncomfortable stories.

If we can get over being offended and realize that everyone is our neighbor, if we could reach out to the hungover, or homeless, or homosexuals, or helpless, or hurting, just as much as we reach out to those we actually do love; well, the reputation Christians have might just change.