Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ 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?’ Luke 10:25-29

The gospel text above ends with a question and Jesus answers this with a parable which is very familiar with most of us; the parable of the Good Samaritan.

There was a time when we were doing a weekly bible study with one of our homeless youth. This is a young man who has been homeless since he was 8. He had never heard of parables and wanted to know what they were. In the years of leading bible studies, no one has ever asked me this question. It is because we who are in the church are so familiar with them that we think we know their meaning and significance. Familiarity is sometimes confused with knowledge. They are not synonymous. I found this out when I tried to explain it, it wasn’t that easy.

Parables are not allegories, even though they contain symbolic references like allegories. They are not moral tales like fairy tales, even though they do contain sometimes moral teachings. Parables deal with real life. They contain things which the common people can easily recognize to demonstrate a profound spiritual truth. The parable of the sower is a good example. The people lived in an agricultural society and sowing seeds was part and parcel of everyday life. The parable of the lost sheep is another example of something happening frequently in that community. In the gospel text above, Jesus goes on to tell the parable of the Good Samaritan. This is quite interesting one. It tells about a reality which is often ignored about Jesus’ society. It was a dangerous and violent society. However, we will get to it in a moment. Let’s dwell on the parables in general for moment. Jesus’ use of parables
reveals something more important and relevant to us as modern people. It teaches us about the spirituality of Jesus, something for us to emulate as His followers. Jesus participated completely in the everyday lives of the people. He did not learn to use parables from a book. He learned them through his daily life with the common people. He looked for spiritual truth revealed in the simple and everyday things of life. Just like we use the common elements of bread and wine and through faith we see something deeper and spiritual in these common elements. The parables invite us to seek for God in simple and everyday things. The world tends to look for God in spectacular things. In the gospels, often times the Pharisees asked for signs. Jesus refused to succumb to their demands. Instead, He reveals that the wisdom of God present in the mundane things of life. This is why He often says in the gospels,

“The reason I speak to them in parables is that “seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.”” Matthew 13:13

Jesus uses parables to answer a question. The parable of the Good Samaritan is an answer but not to just to the question of “who is one’s neighbor”. It is an answer to the original question; “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Perhaps people might get worried whether this parable is promoting actions over grace. In other words, the argument that we are saved not by actions but by grace. This argument dwells on the idea that eternal life is something after death. It promotes an idea that God will judge us with a scale where our good works are measured against our faults. However, Eternal Life is living in a loving relationship with God.

Those who say, ‘I love God’, and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.
1 John 4:20

The parable of the Good Samaritan is quite sophisticated. Literarily speaking, it is quite brilliant. Jesus sets the stage. A man suffers a fate beyond his control. His clothes were stripped so that there was no way of anyone knowing his religious and ethnic identity. Back then and even in some places today, people’s religious and ethnic identity is recognized by their attire. No one who passed him knew anything of his circumstances. He could have been a robber himself who was lynched by a mob. Nothing is known to the passerby except that he was badly hurt and dying. Everyone who passed this man had good religious arguments for their actions. The priest walked on the other side because he was not allowed to touch an injured person or a corpse. He was not close enough to know if the man was alive or dead. The Old Testament is clear about this.

“Whoever touches a human corpse will be unclean for seven days.” Number 19:11

The priest had liturgical duties. He could not forfeit them for the sake of helping this man. He believed that he had higher priorities than helping this man. The Levite had good reasons too. He was a teacher of God’s Law. Today, he might be considered a theologian. He had an obligation to teach. He needed to keep himself pure too. They did not act this way because they were merely selfish. They did it because of their convictions. Let’s just allow them this argument because this thinking is still present in today’s society. They are always religious arguments to back up acts of omission. However, Jesus wasn’t trying to attack anybody. This is important to remember. He was answering an important question. This parable is about eternal life.

The Samaritan was considered by the Jewish society as a heretic at best. The religious authorities believed that the Samaritans did not have a perfect understanding of God’s Law and their liturgical practices were corrupted and were an abomination to the priestly tradition. In other words, the Samaritan did not have a proper understanding of all things religious. However, according to this parable, this was irrelevant. The Samaritan was sensitive to God’s Spirit. The parable doesn’t tell us this but the Life of Jesus does. The ministry of Jesus is about healing. It is not about religiosity. It is not about rituals or theology or philosophy. It is about healing. This man needed healing. God wanted to heal him. The Samaritan responded to God’s prompting. Every act of Love is a response to God’s grace calling us to act. God’s grace invites to participate in His loving actions in this world.

This is how the Samaritan responded to God’s call. He committed himself to this man. He became his servant. He did not know anything about this injured man. Maybe in another circumstance this injured man might have despised the Samaritan. It was very possible. However, in his most vulnerable state, the Samaritan was God’s chosen instrument of Love.

There is a word in the English language and Portuguese has its equivalent too which I find annoying and condescending. The word is “gratifying”. People have said to me that it must be very gratifying to help someone. The problem is that it reduces something important and eternal into a mere emotional experience. The Samaritan did not help the injured man because it is gratifying to help someone. He was moved to help because he responded to God’s prompting. He was moved to help because God’s compassion touched his soul. Something marvelous and wonderful happens to us when we respond to God in this manner. Hope becomes real and alive in us. The kind of hope which is only found when we respond to God’s love. Hope which opens our eyes to see the Light of God shining brightly in this world even when people around us think we are enveloped in darkness.

Recently, someone asked me if we ever get distressed in our ministry because the situation always seems hopeless. In a way, she is right. Most of the young people we know and have a good relationship with will never overcome abject poverty. Many of them might die homeless. Their lifespan is short, too. Bad food and harsh living conditions besides the stress coming with homelessness contributes to this tragic reality. On the outside, this is a depressing and hopeless situation. However, Jesus never stands on the outside and observes. He participates. He is involved. He serves. He loves. He invites us to do the same. When we listen to His voice, we join Him. Then we discover His presence, wherever Jesus is present, there is eternal life. Whenever Jesus is present, there is Love. Love gives us hope.

This week I was talking with Bruno. Now, this young man, on the outside, looks like your stereotypical homeless person. He wears mismatched clothes. He eats leftover food from restaurants. He complained that sometimes people walk pass him and comment that he is in such a sad and tragic situation. They shake their heads and walk on the other side. Bruno told me that he does not believe his situation is bad. In fact, he thinks that despite his situation, he is quite happy and hopeful. I actually understood what he meant. Bruno is a very sociable person. He has many friends. We have had many good moments and frustrating ones, too. However, Bruno knows that he is loved. Therefore, he has hope. It might not be hope in the mindset of this world. It is hope that comes from Love and it is eternally present. However, we would never discover this if we did not commit to the voice of God beckoning us to participate in the ministry of Jesus in Bruno’s life.

His voice is always beckoning us to join Him. Let’s be attentive and open to His voice.