Dangerous Neighbors

The parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) is quite possibly the most well-known parable ever recorded. Or is it? It is certainly among the most familiar, but do we really know what Jesus was trying to communicate?

In preparation for this week’s discussion, read the parable again with an open heart and mind.

Notice also the questions Jesus asked the lawyer: “What is written in the law? What do you read there?”

If Jesus were to ask you the same question, how would you respond? That is, when you read the Bible, which parts do you read? Why do you read some parts of the Bible and not others?

We can reduce it further. What do you read (interpret) Jesus to be communicating by telling this parable? Does he intend to prioritize charitable acts over religious rituals and piety? Or is it about something that includes, but is much larger than helping people in need when we have the means to do so?

If you are not too terribly offended by the “F-bomb” (begins with “F” and rhymes with duck), watch the below clip from the movie “Crash.” In it, a police officer (played by Matt Dillon) attempts to rescue a woman who is trapped in a burning car that will explode at any moment. Her response to him is confusing if you are not aware of the larger context. Matt Dillon’s character has been depicted as a shamelessly racist and misogynistic man throughout the movie. In one of the opening scenes, he unlawfully detained, racially profiled, and frisked in deeply offensive ways the woman he is now attempting to rescue. It is a truly shocking turn of events.

I submit that the parable of the Good Samaritan would have been even more shocking in the context in which it was told 2000 years ago. In order for us to grasp the story’s meaning, then, we must understand why it would have been shocking and even offensive to most of the people who heard it. More important still, we must ask what relevance it has for us today. And that is precisely what our discussion will be about this week.

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