The Parable of the Good Samaritan

Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” He answered, “You shall 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 neighbour as yourself.”  And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”

But 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 traveling 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.  The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ 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.” (Lk 10: 25-37, NewRSV)

Do you recall a time in your life, when you needed help and a stranger went out of his or her way to help you? Or perhaps a time when some stranger was in need and you reached out to help them, despite the inconvenience. The Good Samaritan was moved with compassion. He felt pity for the wounded Jew and despite the hatred that Jews and Samaritans have for each other, he reached out to help, risking his own life. Jesus teaches and invites us to act in compassion for others. Without genuine love for others we will not inherit God’s Kingdom. We all tend to become self-righteous and get caught up with religious rituals which supersedes our care for others. Religion tends to make people indifferent to the pain and needs of others, whereas Jesus Christ teaches us to love God and love one another, just as we love ourselves. He teaches us to love our enemies. He teaches us to treat others the way we would like to be treated. Christ teaches us to have selfless love for others.

As we journey through life we will meet people that will hurt us, others that will be indifferent and insensitive to our pain and those that nurture us back to health and life. Life is not just about the kind of people we encounter but most importantly the kind of people we would like to be. Jesus calls us to be people of compassion, people that nurture others and bring them back to health and life.

The Good Samaritan story helps us realise that the greatest sin is not the sin of commission but the sin of omission. As good Christians, we tend not to commit sin, that would harm someone, but we easily commit the sin of omission, by failing to help those in need. Jesus teaches us to forgo our self-interests and look and reach out to those that are in need.

The Good Samaritan parable has inspired many to do great things. One of the best examples are Christian charities and Christian hospitals that reach out to all who are in pain and in need.

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.  Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’  Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink?  And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’  And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’  Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,  I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’  Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’  And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Mt 25:31-46)

Christianity is not just about attending Church service, it goes beyond it. In the words of Jesus, a person cannot enter eternal life, if they ignore the needs of those in pain and suffering. We are called to be more than pew warmers in Church. We are called for actions in love, justice, peace and righteousness. Pope Francis states that, he prefers a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out in the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security.

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