Even Samaritans?
Issue 025
AUGUST 1, 2018
WRITTEN BY SHAWN WELCOME
Shawn Welcome is the Family Engagement Coordinator for “MVP Families,” a supportive network of families connected to the communities of West Lakes in Orlando. They meet regularly during the school year over food and family fun activities. It is one of the place-based program offerings of the Polis Institute, a non-profit organization that specializes in strengthening urban communities. His role with Polis has included years of prior community engagement through a weekly poetry open mic called Diverse Word that he created downtown in 2006, as well as mentoring youth, teaching at Oak Ridge High School, and performing poetry on a variety of platforms across the United States. Shawn received his B.A in English Literature from the University of Central Florida and serves on the Poet Laureate Selection Committee for the City of Orlando.
The greatest call of the believer, according to Jesus, is to love the Lord with all of your heart, soul, and mind; and to love your neighbor yourself (Matt. 22:36:40). I submit to you that the two commands aren’t a hierarchy of God preferences.
Instead, one’s love for God will be revealed in how one loves his neighbor and how one loves his neighbor will be evidence of one’s love for God. The two are intertwined as God does not separate who He is from his creation, especially people who are made in very His image. (Gen. 1:27)
The good Samaritan story is located in Luke 10:25-37, but this is my paraphrase with snarky commentary along the way. If you already know it, still read through. I think you might get something new.
A teacher of the Law approaches Jesus asking him what he’s supposed to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus answers his question with a question; “What is written in the law?” He answers correctly and Jesus affirms it, but because that wasn’t enough, he turns around and asks, “Who is my neighbor?” Because Jesus is old school and actually wants the teacher to have a revelation of his heart, he jumps into a parable.
A man is traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho, gets jumped by robbers who leave him on the side of the road half dead. A priest walks by the man and does nothing. Then a levite walks by and does nothing. But a Samaritan walks by, takes pity on the man, bandages him up, puts him on his donkey to the nearest inn and pays for a room. Then Jesus asked the teacher, “which of the three was a neighbor to the victim?” The teacher replies, “The one who had mercy on him.” Then Jesus told him to go and do likewise.
The common takeaway from the parable is that we should help people in need or have mercy on the less fortunate… something to that effect. But what if that’s not what Jesus is getting at? If we listen to this parable from the perspective of the teacher, for whom the parable was designed, we’ll hear it slightly different.
“Let’s not focus on who people are not, but zero in on their assets. Let’s find pathways to make use of those gifts and abilities. Let’s see people as God sees them instead of our own tainted lens.”
A few things to note: The teacher of the Law asking the question was most likely Jewish… as was Jesus. Gentiles simply weren’t experts of the Law. The man in the parable traveled from Jerusalem. He too was most likely Jewish. After he is beaten, a Jewish priest and a Jewish levite (most likely) pass the man on the road, but a Samaritan helps him.
It is fair to say that as the expert of the Law is listening to Jesus tell this story, he is identifying with the man beaten on the side of the road and NOT the Samaritan. He does not walk away thinking, “yeah, I’m like the hero, like the Samaritan, like me…” Jesus then provokes the question of “who’s the hero in this story… to which he answers “the man who had mercy on him.” The teacher can’t even say plainly “the Samaritan!” And if you don’t know that it was culturally unacceptable for Samaritans and Jews to comingle, you’ve missed everything.
Jesus, in his infinite wisdom, answers the teacher’s subsequent question without abandoning the first. How does one inherit eternal life? By receiving the mercy of God. Who is my neighbor? Anyone who looks out for their fellow man, including those whom you’d disqualify because of cultural norms.
God uses the weak and broken hearted just as much as he uses the strong and whole. But often times we’re blinded to what the weak have to offer because of cultural norms and miss many opportunities for the Lord to minister to us; because we deem it unlikely. And I think that’s the lesson for all of us.
Let’s not focus on who people are not, but zero in on their assets. Let’s find pathways to make use of those gifts and abilities. Let’s see people as God sees them instead of our own tainted lens. It is the only way to catch the vision of thriving communities where each person is contributing what they have to create their unique version of heaven on Earth. A good friend of mine puts it like this: If you see someone who Christ did not die for, then you have permission to treat them as less than human.
May we be a people who posture ourselves as receivers of God’s mercy, and open to see Him brew miracles from the unlikeliest of people in unlikely places.