Luke 10:25-37 – 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?’ 26 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 travelling 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,[b] 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.’

Life is full of journeys. There are journeys we make for business, others for duty, some for love, and others for adventure. Sometimes the way is easy and filled with companionship; at others, it is difficult and lonely. In the parable, we do not know why the man was going on the long road from Jerusalem to Jericho; we only meet him beaten, robbed, and half-dead. A few people pass him by. Yet, someone did stop a Samaritan. In doing so, he may well have put himself in danger, for in this part of the world he was the outsider, the one who was to be shunned. The Samaritan does not pause to do a risk assessment or make a calculation or check to see if he is covered by insurance. His response is immediate and unconditional.
The Samaritan not only tends to the physical wounds but the deeper wounds to the sense of self. Without even saying a word, he says to the victim, you do have value and you are worthy of care. And if ever that was in doubt, look at how lavish is the care he provides, even looking ahead to his future needs.
The parable of the Good Samaritan shows us that our society, our communities, and our relationships are not permanently broken. We can restore them. And it can all begin with reaching out to our neighbors, whatever state they are in. We can decide that we will not let anyone, or any circumstance, diminish our humanity or the humanity of another person.

 
Prayer 
God of love,
May we always see the world through the eyes of the Good Samaritan
and be filled with your deep compassion.

Help us to be merciful neighbours even when it is inconvenient,
when we don’t have time,
or when we have other responsibilities to attend to.
Grant us the insight to see the need of those around us,
the wisdom to know how to respond,
and the strength to do so willingly.

We pray for those we might cross the road to avoid –
the poor, the vulnerable and the marginalised.
Those, who in many and various ways,
have been stripped, beaten and left for dead.

We pray for all who call from us more than we feel we have to give.
Open our eyes, so that we might not cross the road from human needs.
May our love of you and love of our neighbour,
call us to be people of peace and justice in the world.
And may we, like the Good Samaritan,
always ‘go and do likewise.
Amen.

© Emma Stephenson 06/07/2022