Luke 10:25-37 (NIV)

25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

27 He answered, “‘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, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Reflection:

What was this expert in the law, a scholar who was well versed in Scripture, really asking of Jesus? Was he taking issue with Jesus or simply giving himself an opportunity to show how much he really knew? Correctly answering Jesus’ initial questions with references to the Shema (Deut. 6:5), the core Hebrew prayer that stresses the fourfold commandment to love (heart, soul, strength, and mind) and loving your neighbor (Lev. 19:18) were gimmies. But things get interesting when he asks Jesus for a further interpretation of the neighbor.

One of the shocking things in the parable is that the person Jesus commended was the Samaritan (viewed by Jews as a half-breed, a hated foreigner), as the one who truly is the neighbor that embodied the heart of the Shema. Unlike the expert in the law who could not and would not imagine the Samaritan as becoming part of the people of God and serving the Lord, Jesus saw those who were often overlooked, despised, and marginalized quite differently.

Responding to the Transmission:

In a world plagued by hatred and prejudices, we see Jesus asserting that God’s love knows no boundaries. In the same way, may we learn to see others with God’s heart - believing for others that they can serve and worship God and do great things for God’s kingdom. Let’s ask the Lord to redefine and correct our old notions and ideas of God’s kingdom, so that we can see, believe for, and go to others with His heart and vision.