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| The Good Samaritan , Aime Nicholas Morot |
- Amos 7:7-17 and Psalm 82 •
- Deuteronomy 30:9-14 and Psalm 25:1-10 •
- Colossians 1:1-14 •
- Luke 10:25-37
The Gospel for this week is one Jesus' most famous, and familiar, parables -- the story of the Good Samaritan. Its sheer familiarity means that some of its implications are easily overlooked. This is not simply a morally improving lesson about how much better kindness and generosity are to selfish hardheartedness. For the devout Jews to whom Jesus told the story, ‘the priest’ and ‘the Levite’ were pillars of orthodox respectability, and their desire to avoid the religious pollution that would result from contact with a (possibly) dead body could be widely appreciated. It is also important to remember that the Samaritans were regarded as second class Jews, because they subscribed to
a debased form of Judaism. These facts intensify the meaning of the story, which is more about true religion than moral rectitude.
Equally important is the fact that ‘the Good Samaritan’ is not a free standing story with a moral, like one of Aesop's fables. It is Jesus’ answer
to a question. A lawyer raises a characteristically legal question. He does
not dispute the ancient moral law of the Jews – ‘love your neighbor as
yourself’ – but asks for a definition of terms – Who is my neighbor? This is
not mere quibbling. The definition of terms is crucial to the law and its
application. What the story shows, however, is that while legalism has its
place, it can become a barrier to the life of the Spirit within us.
These few verses thus take us to the heart of the Gospel.
This sincere and faithful Jew wants to place the law of God as inscribed in
Leviticus at the center of his life and obey God in all things. That is one,
admirable, conception of ‘the Kingdom of God on earth’. But Jesus offers a
radical alternative – a willingness to go beyond the rules to the point where our human concern with religious integrity is itself overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit acting within us. In short we are called to
participate in Divine life, and as the reading from Deuteronomy affirms, ultimately, this is a matter of looking deep within our own souls.'
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