The Good Samaritan was also despised

Someone once told me that it was a good thing for Jesus’ parables to prompt an honest self-examination; this might make me squirm a bit.

In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus tells the story of what we refer to as “The Good Samaritan.” It is in direct response to a lawyer’s question to Jesus about who is “neighbor.”

As the story goes, a man is beaten by robbers. They leave him stripped naked and half-dead by the side of the road. First a priest, then a Levite, offer no assistance. They purposefully avoided him. They were both temple workers, “holy men,” and society revered them in their sacred callings.

What is not said is that the missing clothing could have identified the man as Jew or gentile. So, this remained a mystery. Jews were urged not to have contact with gentiles. They considered them “unclean.” Perhaps he was an outsider?

He was in such sorry shape that he could have easily died while being transported. If the man expired in their care, the priest or Levite would have exposed themselves to yet another kind of “unclean” outlined by the law.

If the worst had happened, there were necessary time-consuming steps for them to become “clean” again. So, there was risk involved. Why take the chance, right?

The Samaritan, on the other hand, had compassion, showed mercy, and helped the man.

Who were Samaritans? They were Jews who intermarried with foreigners and adopted other religious practices; both of these were considered abominations by the Jewish people.

At the end of Jesus’ parable, the lawyer admits that “the one who showed mercy” was “neighbor.” He simply could not mention the name “Samaritan” in his answer.

Elsewhere in Luke’s Gospel, the word “mercy” is used only in relation to actions by Jesus or God the Father.

By this understanding, the lawyer had to admit that the despised, unclean, pagan, half-bred Samaritan was an agent of God’s will.

This parable does make me squirm a bit. It reminds me that God’s work is being done by folks who are different, involving people who may be outside of my comfort zone. These caring people may not share my religious beliefs, speak the same language, or have familiar cultural markings. A segment of our society might even consider them “unclean” in some ways.

May I recall this story if I should ever be tempted to believe otherwise.

Walter is pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church and has served as parish pastor for more than 25 years.