Thoughts for the Day

Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus.....wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, 'And who is my neighbour?' 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. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while travelling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. 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....

Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?' He said, 'The one who showed him mercy.' Jesus said to him, 'Go and do likewise.'

(Church in Wales Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

In the years when I was a Diocesann Children's and RE Adviser I would go to churches and schools giving advice, creating projects, and teaching. I quickly discovered that only a few stories from the Bible were used, other than the Christmas story. They were: Noah and his ark; David and Goliath; Daniel in the lion's den; and the Good Samaritan. Good Friday, Easter, the Resurrection and Pentecost were frequently missed out, often because the children were on holiday at that time.

We use the phrase "Good Samaritan" rather casually today. Someone who helps their neighbour, or volunteers at a foodbank might be thought of as a 'Good Samaritan', but this misses the point of the story. Jesus told this parable to show that loving our neighbour means going completely over the top to help someone who dislikes you. Samaritans were positively hated by traditional Jews. The area of Samaria had been settled by outsiders after they had been defeated by the Assyrians in 722 BCE. Over the years these outsiders established a separate Temple to rival the Temple in Jerusalem. Most loyal Jews would avoid any Samaritan like the plague. Yet Jesus tells them a story where the hero is a Samaritan. The priest and the levite ignore the poor beaten traveller, but the Samaritan goes out of his way to help him. The phrase Good Samaritan would make no sense to anyone listening to Jesus at the time!

Jesus teaches us today to behave like the Samaritan - to show love and support for all people, not just those we like. Can we be honest and identify those we find difficult to understand - the outcast, the addict, those in prison perhaps? Can we at least support charities that care for them, and can we pray for them, or show practical help in some way?

Lord Jesus Christ,
sometimes we are so good at helping others
in our neighbourhood and locality,
but we ignore those with an equal need
who are different from us,
yet who need our compassion.
Help us to reach out to all those
whom the world ignores,
and to put as much effort
into helping them as we do
to those who know.
Amen.