The Good Samaritan
Thursday, October 21, 2010 -- Week of Proper 24, Year Two
To read about our daily commemorations, go to our Holy Women, Holy Men blog:
http://liturgyandmusic.wordpress.com/category/holy-women-holy-men/
Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 989)
Psalms 37:1-18 (morning) 37:19-42 (evening)
Ecclesiasticus* 10:1-18
Revelation 9:1-12
Luke 10:25-37
* found in the Apocrypha; also known as the Wisdom of Jesus Son of Sirach
Today we read one of the most beloved and seminal of Jesus' parables. It's usually called "The Good Samaritan," though Jesus never uses the word "good" to describe the Samaritan.
The set-up to the story is important to its meaning. The lawyer is one who interprets the scriptures. He would be a respected leader and scholar. He might have significant social or political standing. He and Jesus find common ground in a fundamental interpretation of the foundation of Biblical law. The identity of Israel as God's people is grounded in love. The character of God's people is also grounded in love. "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 neighbor as yourself." Jesus commends the lawyer. "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live." It's all about love.
But the lawyer wants some clarification. Traditional Rabbinical interpretation debated how far one's neighborly obligation might extend. Who is my neighbor? One conventional answer was that a neighbor was a member of one's extended family. Another answer placed geographical boundaries, such as within a certain number of feet from one's home, or a neighbor is a member of one's village. The common answers about neighbor were rather circumscribed answers. One owes neighborly love to one's family or those of a very close proximity.
Jesus' answer is racially critical of the conventional answers. It is also an incendiary answer. The hero, the example of "neighbor," is a hated enemy and heretic -- a Samaritan.
There are clear Biblical laws about avoiding contamination with profane or unclean things. A corpse is among the most contaminating of the items listed in the Torah. So is a Samaritan. For a priest walking between Jericho and Jerusalem, probably in connection with his required period of service in the Temple, to touch a corpse would render him incapable of serving or working until he has completed a lengthy period of purification. Priests in particular do not touch a corpse or anything that might be a corpse. Likewise Levites, whose profession required ritual cleanliness.
Jesus makes a mockery of these purity laws and the conventional boundaries of obligation to neighbor. His example of a neighbor is heretic who helps an unclean stranger in need. The stranger is not a member of his family, his village or even his tribe of Samaria. If the stranger is a Jew, and that is likely, then the stranger is an enemy.
Jesus throws off the boundaries that limit our view of neighbor. A neighbor is anyone. Any human being. We are to love our neighbor as ourselves. This is a radical ethic. It is a core focus of Jesus' teaching and his character.
The implications of Jesus' teaching are far reaching. They speak to our personal relationships and our political opinions. They speak to our fundamental attitudes toward other human beings -- near and far. We are to look at the other person -- including the foreigner, the heretic, and the unclean -- and we are to love them as ourselves.
But the love of the Samaritan is not just a feeling of sympathy or an expression of concern. The example of love that we are given is love in action. It is love that reaches out to pay the price to help the person in distress. It is hands-on love. Involved love. Love committed to action, and willing to give generously to respond in compassion.
How different might our society and our world be if this fundamental, core teaching of Jesus were our guiding principle? What if our political priorities were formed by Jesus' teaching? Radical stuff. It's all about love.
To read about our daily commemorations, go to our Holy Women, Holy Men blog:
http://liturgyandmusic.wordpress.com/category/holy-women-holy-men/
Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 989)
Psalms 37:1-18 (morning) 37:19-42 (evening)
Ecclesiasticus* 10:1-18
Revelation 9:1-12
Luke 10:25-37
* found in the Apocrypha; also known as the Wisdom of Jesus Son of Sirach
Today we read one of the most beloved and seminal of Jesus' parables. It's usually called "The Good Samaritan," though Jesus never uses the word "good" to describe the Samaritan.
The set-up to the story is important to its meaning. The lawyer is one who interprets the scriptures. He would be a respected leader and scholar. He might have significant social or political standing. He and Jesus find common ground in a fundamental interpretation of the foundation of Biblical law. The identity of Israel as God's people is grounded in love. The character of God's people is also grounded in love. "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 neighbor as yourself." Jesus commends the lawyer. "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live." It's all about love.
But the lawyer wants some clarification. Traditional Rabbinical interpretation debated how far one's neighborly obligation might extend. Who is my neighbor? One conventional answer was that a neighbor was a member of one's extended family. Another answer placed geographical boundaries, such as within a certain number of feet from one's home, or a neighbor is a member of one's village. The common answers about neighbor were rather circumscribed answers. One owes neighborly love to one's family or those of a very close proximity.
Jesus' answer is racially critical of the conventional answers. It is also an incendiary answer. The hero, the example of "neighbor," is a hated enemy and heretic -- a Samaritan.
There are clear Biblical laws about avoiding contamination with profane or unclean things. A corpse is among the most contaminating of the items listed in the Torah. So is a Samaritan. For a priest walking between Jericho and Jerusalem, probably in connection with his required period of service in the Temple, to touch a corpse would render him incapable of serving or working until he has completed a lengthy period of purification. Priests in particular do not touch a corpse or anything that might be a corpse. Likewise Levites, whose profession required ritual cleanliness.
Jesus makes a mockery of these purity laws and the conventional boundaries of obligation to neighbor. His example of a neighbor is heretic who helps an unclean stranger in need. The stranger is not a member of his family, his village or even his tribe of Samaria. If the stranger is a Jew, and that is likely, then the stranger is an enemy.
Jesus throws off the boundaries that limit our view of neighbor. A neighbor is anyone. Any human being. We are to love our neighbor as ourselves. This is a radical ethic. It is a core focus of Jesus' teaching and his character.
The implications of Jesus' teaching are far reaching. They speak to our personal relationships and our political opinions. They speak to our fundamental attitudes toward other human beings -- near and far. We are to look at the other person -- including the foreigner, the heretic, and the unclean -- and we are to love them as ourselves.
But the love of the Samaritan is not just a feeling of sympathy or an expression of concern. The example of love that we are given is love in action. It is love that reaches out to pay the price to help the person in distress. It is hands-on love. Involved love. Love committed to action, and willing to give generously to respond in compassion.
How different might our society and our world be if this fundamental, core teaching of Jesus were our guiding principle? What if our political priorities were formed by Jesus' teaching? Radical stuff. It's all about love.
Lowell
__________________
| Audio podcast: Listen to an audio podcast of the most recent Morning Reflections from today and the past week. Click the following link: -- Morning Reflection Podcasts About Morning Reflections "Morning Reflections" is a brief thought about the scripture readings from the Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer according to the practice found in the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church. Morning Prayer begins on p. 80 of the Book of Common Prayer. Evening Prayer begins on p. 117 An online resource for praying the Daily Office is found at missionstclare.com -- Click for online Daily Office Another form of the office from Phyllis Tickle's "Divine Hours" is available on our partner web site www.ExploreFaith.org at this location -- http://explorefaith.org/prayer/fixed/index.html -- Click for Divine Hours Discussion Blog: To comment on today's reflection or readings, go to http://lowellsblog.blogspot.com, or click here for Lowell's blog find today's reading, click "comment" at the bottom of the reading, and post your thoughts. |
| The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church is to explore and celebrate God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love. See our Web site at www.stpaulsfay.org Our Rule of Life: We aspire to... worship weekly pray daily learn constantly serve joyfully live generously. Lowell Grisham, Rector St. Paul's Episcopal Church Fayetteville, Arkansas |
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