Gospel of Luke, chapter 10:30-35

Most Christians are familiar with the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke, chapter ten. Hospitals have been named after the Good Samaritan; and a law has even been enacted, called ‘the Good Samaritan act,’ to protect from prosecution those who have come to the rescue of someone in need. This parable, one of the most popular parables of Jesus, is found only in the Gospel of Luke.

To appreciate this parable, we need to understand the context in which it was spoken. Jesus was asked a question by a teacher of the law: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” The Lord reversed the question by asking Him: “what do the scriptures say?” The man replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and love your neighbor as you love yourself.” (Luke 10:7). Jesus commended the teacher for his answer but to justify himself, the teacher asked Jesus another question, “who is my neighbor?” Jesus responded by a telling a story: the parable of the Good Samaritan.

The parable of the Good Samaritan shows us how to be a neighbor. In this lovely story, Jesus breaks down the barriers separating people, and He chooses the Samaritan, the outsider, as an example of how to be a neighbor. Can you imagine the shock- effect of this message on the teacher of the law who regarded the Samaritan as unclean and unworthy of respect? Can you imagine how he must have felt when Jesus elevated the ‘hated’ Samaritan above the priest and the Levite who both ignored the man who feel among robbers? The Samaritan made the sacrifice to help the man in trouble; he moved out of his comfort zone; he took the risk, sacrificing his money and time, to help the battered man lying by the wayside.

Some time ago, a woman in distress, appeared at my doorstep in Okeechobee, Florida. She had been thrown out of the house by her relatives and told to go live with other relatives in Texas. Texas! She was beside herself; no money, no transportation, nothing! Not even a travelling bag or case! “How did you get here?” I asked her. “A young mother of three children brought me here in her car when she saw me wandering about town, crying,” she said. “And, where is this young lady?’ She pointed to the parking lot: “She’s in her car.” “A true neighbor,” I thought. I went over to the car and invited this Good Samaritan with her three children into the rectory. Together we arranged for this poor, abandoned woman to leave by bus for Texas the following morning. I provided her with enough money for the journey. The young mother of three kept the woman at her home that night and drove her to the bus station in Ft. Pierce, about fifty miles away, the following morning.

Jesus asked the teacher of the law one final question: “which one of the three was neighbor to the man attacked by the robbers?” The teacher answered: “the one who showed mercy to him.”

Jesus answered: “Go and do likewise.”

We provide the conclusion to this parable of the Good Samaritan whenever we help another human being in need.

Fr. Hugh Duffy