Jun 6 2019 Luke 10: 25-37

And who is my neighbor?



Most of us know about the story of the Good Samaritan. A man was beaten up and left for dead. A priest passed by, as did a political and education leader of the time. Not only did they not help him, the crossed to the other side of the street. A Samaritan walks by and it’s the Samaritan that helps the naked, half-dead man.



At the time, Samaritans and Jews hated each other; the Jews had actually destroyed a holy temple of the Samaritans. So for Jesus to have made the hero of the story the Samaritan would be like making _______ the hero. Fill in the blank with whoever is your perceived arch enemy – conservatives, liberals, homeless, sex offenders,  Speaking to the audience at the time, Jesus hit precisely the most offensive group for the hero.



I appreciate this story for the irony of the perceived good guys (priests and political leaders) actually being not so good, and the perceived enemy (Samaritans) being good. It’s nice to be reminded that our limited and limiting perspectives of who’s good and who’s not good are, in fact, limited and limiting.



But more, I appreciate this story for where Luke places it in his narrative. A wealthy man has asked Jesus what he must do to ‘inherit eternal life’. Jesus responds with the ever-simple but not easy, Love God. Love your neighbor. The rich man responds with “And who is my neighbor”. That’s where this story comes. After the ironic story, Jesus asks which of the people in the story was a neighbor to the half-dead man. The wealthy man responds that it’s the Samaritan. Jesus simply says, “Go and do likewise”.



So more than this being a story about who is and isn’t actually good, it’s a story about the all-encompassing nature of Love your Neighbor. If to a Jewish audience Jesus is suggesting that Samaritans are their love-worthy neighbor, he is suggesting that there is no one who is not a love-worthy neighbor.



This morning, I’m thinking about Love your Neighbor. About who my Samaritans would be. Who do I think is beyond the required boundary of neighbor, unworthy of my love. This isn’t an emotional feeling kind of love, but an active empathy and compassion for someone else. Who is it I can’t empathize with?  I’d like to think I don’t have many, but if I’m honest, I there are some with whom I struggle. A lot. Those are the very people this story challenges me to love. I am not allowed to exclude anyone; God doesn’t. Today, I want to think about my Samaritans, and more towards more love.