© Evgeniy Kalinovskiy

Proper 10
Sunday, July 14, 2019
Lectionary C

Luke 10:25-37

The parable of the Good Samaritan is so much more than a Sunday school story from Jesus encouraging us to love our neighbor. It’s way more interesting than that. The story really isn’t even primarily about loving your neighbor; it’s about how impossibly far we are from truly fulfilling God’s Law.

The setup for the parable is important. Listen closely to what Jesus says in Luke 10:21. “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children” (NIV, emphasis added). To the religious “experts” Jesus essentially says, “Be careful what you think you know.”

The parable begins with a question from one such religious expert. “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” (v. 25, NIV). “You want eternal life?” Jesus asks. “What does the Law say, after all you’re the ‘expert’?” The man answers, neatly summarizing the Ten Commandments by citing two famous passages of Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:5 (love God) and Leviticus 19:18 (love your neighbor). “You got it,” Jesus says, “just do that, and you’ll be just fine.” Seems easy enough, but then comes the unexpected twist.

The religious expert asks, “Well, who is my neighbor, tell me, and I’ll be ensured that I’ve done what is required.” The parable that follows reveals how far off the religious expert really is from fulfilling God’s Law. A man in a ditch is passed over by two other typical religious experts (a Levite and a priest). Then comes a Samaritan, a man who’s ethnicity warranted him racist ridicule from many religious elites. Samaritans had mixed with the Gentile nations, and thus in the eyes of some, had forfeited part of their distinct Hebrew heritage. They were looked down upon. Yet it’s the Samaritan who cares for the beat-up traveler. 

Jesus’s next question drives home the point. “So Mr. Religious Expert, who was the ‘neighbor’ in the story?” The expert is trapped, having just realized that the “neighbor” (the one the Law asks him to love) is the Samaritan, whom he despises the most. He immediately sees how far he is from God’s heart. He’s confronted instantly with the bankruptcy of the personal pronoun in his initial statement that started the dialogue. “What must I do to inherit eternal life.” What he assumed was simple he now realizes is practically impossible. He’s wiser now than ever.

Phillips

As children (remember Luke 10:21), we all must now hear the words spoken to Martha in Luke’s very intentionally placed next story. “You are worried and upset about many things, but few are needed—or indeed only one” (v. 42, NIV). “Come to Me,” Jesus implies, “and you will have life. Sinner come fall at My feet, experience My unearned love, and then perhaps you’ll be able to go love a Samaritan.”

– Fr. Tom Phillips is priest-in-charge of Church of the Incarnation in Oviedo.