“The Samaritan who road down from Jericho had nothing to do in the morning but follow the highway, and take care that his beast did not stumble of hurt itself, or get tired so that it could not finish the journey…But when he came to the place where that unknown pilgrim lay senseless and bleeding beside the road, then, in a moment, the Samaritan’s duty changed, and it compelled him to become a rescuer, a nurse, a helper of the wounded. (Source Unknown)
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, I have been doing a lot of thinking about what is the appropriate level of care to others my family and I should be applying during this time of need. To say there are a lot of people in need of care is an understatement. The “Go Fund Me” and “donation” opportunities are too vast for me to even list out here. They are everywhere. So, what is my responsibility?
Today, I would like to look at the very familiar biblical parable (an earthly story with a spiritual meaning) about the Good Samaritan, and see if we can find any answers. Please take a minute to either read, or open your Bible to Luke 10:29-37.
As a starting point, we know that Jesus was responding to the second question from a lawyer (see vs. 25). In the second question, the lawyer asks “And who is my neighbor” (vs. 29)? Jesus begins the parable by telling about a man who was walking on the road between Jerusalem and Jericho. He chose this road because He knew the audience would be familiar with the infamous route. It was the stretch of road, approximately 17 miles, that was very dangerous. The rocky terrain that lined the road gave robbers a good hiding place, and many reports of nefarious activity came from it.
Verse 30 tells us that a man traveling on that road fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and left him there for dead. His condition was dire, and if no one gave him medical treatment, he would likely die.
It is at this point that Jesus introduces the three main characters of the story – The Priest, Levite, and Samaritan. Jesus says, “Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side” (vs. 34-35).
The actions of the Priest and Levite were both important and interesting. Important because everyone of Jesus’ audience knew the potential cost to the Priest and Levite if they stopped. Levitical Law presented both men with the same problem – to stop meant ritual cleansing because they came in contact with human blood. This left them with two choices: 1) Either they could stop, help the man in need, and face the uncomfortable process of ritual cleansing, or 2) they could continue toward their destination by using religious reasons to justify their actions. The parable tells us what they did, and this is interesting because they were appointed care givers that should have stopped.
Now enters the third man, the Samaritan (vs. 33-37). In summation, we know that when the main character came upon the wounded man, “it compelled the Samaritan to become a rescuer, a
nurse, a helper of the wounded.” This is significant because the Jews and the Samaritans did not like one another, and Jesus’ Jewish audience would NOT have liked the fact that the hero of the story was a Samaritan. Because the Samaritan had every reason to keep moving past the wounded man, Jesus’ knew these words would have a deep impact. This was His intent.
So, why did Jesus do this, and what was He saying? First, He did this because it was His mission – “the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Second, Jesus did this because he deeply loved those He was speaking to that day. Third, Jesus deeply loved and cared for those who are hurting (Matthew 9:12). Nothing has changed, and this is still true today.
This leads us to the “so what” of the parable. The heavenly meaning is that there is no room for prejudice within God’s Kingdom. God has always expected us to view people the same way Jesus viewed the people he taught that day – with COMPASSION and LOVE!!! The Samaritan’s actions were not driven by his tradition, historic dislikes, or selfishness. They were driven by compassion and love. In the end, this is the filter God expects us to run everything through when we are deciding how to care for people.
USACE, in conclusion, I cannot tell you what to do. I cannot tell you where you should give your time, talent, or treasure in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. What I can tell you is that regardless of what you chose to do, let the driving force be compassion and love!
Blessings,
Chaplain Brad Baumann