The Good Samaritan

I have a friend who is very overweight. For a long time everyone assumed my friend just ate too much food. Of course everyone had good suggestions and/or accusations: eat less, eat this, eat that, don't eat this, or don't eat that. She knew all of the suggestions. She felt all of the accusations. But what neither she or anyone else knew was the undiagnosed thyroid disorder she suffered with for 20 years.

I saw a movie recently called Our House. A wealthy woman in her seventies discovered she had cancer. Her husband had passed away, her children were grown, and she spent her days in her spacious house all by herself reliving past memories . . . a very lonely life. One night in despair, she took a bunch of sleeping pills. But while she was still coherent she realized suicide was not the answer and she wandered outside looking for help. The pills, however, were taking effect and she fell, almost unconscious. A young homeless woman, also wandering, found her and the empty pill bottle lying on the ground. She got down on the ground and saved the woman's life. While she was helping the older woman a police car drove past. The two officers stopped, got out of the car, arrested the homeless woman, and put her in jail for assault and attempted robbery.

When I was in college I spent a summer job selling books door-to-door in southern Georgia. One day I met a woman who began talking about the African Americans in her town. She said most held jobs such as maid, handyman, factory worker because they were not capable of anything more than that. She made a statement I have never forgot. She said, "Blacks, are like little children. We (meaning the white citizens) see it as our responsibility to take care of them."

Not too long ago, I had to call a tow truck. I'd like to say it was because my car broke down, but I had locked the keys in my car. After calling I waited about twenty minutes for the tow to arrive. The driver who came to help was heavyset with a bulging belly. He had a wispy beard down to his chest and tattoos all over his arms and neck. He wore low riding jeans and a black tee shirt with the arms and neck ripped out. His name was Bull, and sure enough there it was, "Bull," tattooed on his left arm. And . . . . he was the nicest guy you would ever want to meet.

In our scripture reading today we have a Jewish lawyer putting Jesus to the test . . . not an uncommon thing for Jesus. When asked how to attain eternal life, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy, one of the books of Jewish law, "love the LORD your God with all our heart and with all your soul and with all your strength" (6:5). Then He adds, "and your neighbor as yourself" (v. 27). When the lawyer asks who is considered a neighbor, Jesus tells the story of a man who was robbed, beaten, and left to die. A priest and Levite pass him by and a Samaritan rescues him. Shockingly the Samaritan exemplifies what it means to be a neighbor. Jesus' instruction to the lawyer: go and do the same. Obviously we learn to treat all people as a neighbor, with mercy. But there is a more subtle lesson.

We know nothing about the victim except he was a man robbed and left for dead. We do not know if he was rich or poor, Jew or Gentile, a farmer or a merchant. We do know, however, a few things about the hero of the story. We know he was a Samaritan who was wealthy enough to own a donkey. He gave the inn keeper the equivalent of two days wages for the care of the victim. Apparently the Samaritan was financially successful in his career. Interesting Jesus’ teaching about neighbors would have been the same no matter who did the rescuing. It was not necessary to specify who the rescuer was but Jesus pointed out the Samaritan hero. Why did He do that? It is well known, even to us, there was no love lost between the Jews and the Samaritans. In the days shortly after King Solomon, the nation of Israel split into two kingdoms. The northern kingdom was Israel and the southern kingdom was Judah. In 722 B.C. the Assyrians conquered Israel. The Assyrians, in order to control conquered nations, uprooted the native population and transplanted them in a foreign territory. The conquered lands were then repopulated with foreigners. This served to destroy the nationalistic identity of the conquered people and reduce the likelihood of revolt. And this happened to Israel. The majority of the northern kingdom Israelites were uprooted and pagan peoples were resettled in their land. The Israelites who managed to escape capture and the pagan peoples who settled in the area intermarried and thus became a racially mixed people--the Samaritans. Though they were of mixed blood, many Samaritans continued in the ways and beliefs of the Jews . . . with some modifications. One injustice the Jews inflicted on the Samaritans concerned the rebuilding of the temple. The first captive Jews from the southern kingdom returned to Jerusalem begin rebuilding the temple. They refused to allow the Samaritans to help, despite the same beliefs in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Samaritans never forgot or forgave the Jews. Over the years, animosity grew between the Jews and Samaritans. In 6 A.D. the Samaritans desecrated the temple in Jerusalem by laying dead people all around. By the time of Jesus' ministry the schism was beyond repair. The Jews hated the Samaritans. The Samaritans hated the Jews. In this parable, Jesus not only introduced a Samaritan as the hero of the story but He told the Jews to follow the example of a Samaritan. This was a great insult to the Jews and a completely new way of thinking. No Jew would ever think anything good could come from a Samaritan, let alone follow the example of a Samaritan. Jesus' implied Samaritans are capable of goodness, which contradicted the Jewish belief that all Samaritans are morally corrupt. It was subtle yet revolutionary and powerful. It was a step in eliminating the stereotypes, breaking down the prejudice, and healing the hatred.
We stereotype people more often then we may realize. Think of the people groups as I name them and note the first thoughts that come to mind: homeless, elderly, immigrants, stay-at-home-moms, career women, single fathers, teenagers, homosexuals, alcoholics, athletes. When we automatically judge the character of a person according to a stereotype or category, we close the door to seeing other possibilities. How many times do you think someone has been refused a job, award, scholarship, or gift based on a prejudice or stereotype? What chance did a Samaritan have finding a job with a Jewish employer? Things have not changed so much in 2,000 years.

The Jews did not recognize it but when Jesus made the Samaritan the hero in the story, He was bringing them good news. He was showing them a picture of the Samaritan they had not seen before. Jesus was bringing them the opportunity of considering Samaritans in a whole new way. He was bringing them the possibility of being free of a hatred and prejudice they had been bound to for centuries. He would have given them the power and grace to change had they accepted it.

God does not see people according to our stereotypes and categories. He did not 2,000 years ago and He does not today. God knows us intimately and individually. This is good news--wonderful news. With God, we will never be judged according to someone else's preconceived idea of our character. God can give us the ability to see people from perspective free of prejudice and stereotypes. He can give us the ability to look past the preconceived conclusions to the unique individual. God has promised to transform our minds. It is part of the gift of salvation. He will release us from the attitudes that harm others and ourselves.

Let God know you want to be free of all prejudice and misconceptions caused by stereotyping. Let Him know you want to see others through His eyes and know who they really are. God, in His grace and intimacy, will share His vision, heart, and compassion. It is a beautiful thing to look through the eyes of God. He will show you the places where your view of another is tainted and then He will purify your vision. God created us to be neighbors, to show mercy to each other. If we let Him, He will give us hearts of compassion, tender, and mercy. Alleluia!