by Fr. Tommy Lane
The Old Testament is enormous, and it would take us many lifetimes to study it properly. Nevertheless, in today’s Gospel (Luke 10:25-37), a scholar asked Jesus to summarize it in a nutshell: “what must we do to be saved?” Jesus turned the question back to him and asked him to summarize it, which he did in this way: “Love God and love your neighbor as yourself.” Good, but the scholar put another question to Jesus: “Who is my neighbor?” We can understand why he would ask. It is easy to give the theory, “love your neighbor as yourself,” but when it comes to daily life what exactly does loving your neighbor as yourself mean. So, Jesus told the now famous Parable of the Good Samarian.
A man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho was beaten up by robbers who left him for dead. The priest and the Levite passed by on the other side of the road when they saw the man, possibly because they thought the man was only acting and if they went over to help him then they would also be attacked, robbed, and left for dead. Unfortunately, that was not an uncommon occurrence on that road at that time. “Priest, Levite, Israelite” was a common group of three at that time. People listening to Jesus’ parable would expect an Israelite would save the day. Instead, to the shock of everyone, the man who helped was a Samaritan. Relations between the Jewish people and Samaritans were at a very low ebb at the time of Jesus. But in Jesus’ parable it was one of those Samaritans who acted like a neighbor and went over to the other side of the road to assist the man left for dead. Jesus is saying we need to think of our neighbor in a new way. Our neighbor whom we are to love as ourselves may not necessarily be someone we like, or someone who is like us, or someone with our own faith or tradition, or someone with our background. For the month of July your neighbor may even speak with an Irish accent! At the end of the parable, Jesus asks the question: “Which of them was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” The scholar responded, “The one who treated him with mercy.” So, when it comes to daily living, what exactly does loving our neighbor as ourselves mean? It means treating people with mercy. When someone of a different Christian denomination mocks us or says unkind things about us, we love them as ourselves by treating them with mercy. Our mercy and treatment of them will show that we are Christians because we love them as Jesus has asked us.
It is easy to recognize that Jesus wants us to see his parable teaching about loving our neighbor as ourselves, so I want to move on and look at the parable in another way also. At one time or another, some of us may have felt like that poor man: robbed, beaten up, and left for dead by the side of the road. Then we needed Jesus to cross over to our side of road to help us and bring us healing. If you are still hurting by what life has thrown at you, Jesus wants to cross over to your side of the road to help you. If you are still lying on the side of the road in some way, share your heart with the Lord. He will cross over to you; he wants you well. You give God a lot more glory by being well and who he wants you to be.
In the parable, the Good Samaritan was moved with compassion when he saw the man. Our English translation does not do justice to what Luke wrote in Greek. In the Greek which Luke wrote, the Good Samaritan was moved interiorly in a way that we cannot describe easily in one word or even describe properly in English. In the same way, when you are suffering, Jesus is so moved that we cannot even describe his enormous compassion for you. Last Sunday I reflected on God loving us and when we think of Jesus as the Good Samaritan coming to rescue us, this is another way in which we see the love of God for us.
Then in the parable, the Good Samaritan poured oil and wine on the man’s wounds. Oil softened the wounds and the alcohol in the wine acted as an antiseptic or disinfectant. Spend time with the Lord in prayer. Allow time with Jesus and his words to you, for example his words that you read in Sacred Scripture, to soften your wounds and prevent you from becoming bitter because of anything that may have happened to you.
Then in the parable, the Good Samaritan brought the man to the inn so that he could be taken care of properly there. Jesus wants you to be taken care of in the inn which is the Church. The Church is your home. There you continue to meet Jesus and be healed. In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, you can speak with the Lord and be healed of anything on your part that prevents your healing, and you can receive the spiritual nourishment you need in the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
In the parable, the Good Samaritan paid the innkeeper the cost of looking after the man and helping his recovery. Jesus paid the price for our recovery in the inn—the sacraments of the Church—and that price is his own life and blood. Jesus gave his life on the cross and every last drop of his blood so you can continue to be healed in the inn of the Church.
At the beginning of the Gospel today we heard a summary of the Old Testament: love God and to love your neighbor as yourself. Today we heard Jesus teach on the second of those, loving our neighbor as ourselves. Next Sunday we will hear about Jesus teaching on the first, loving God, during his visit to Mary and Martha. At one time or another, we may have felt like that poor man: robbed, beaten up, and lying by the side of the road. But then we experienced the love of Jesus for us who crossed over the road to us and lifted us up and took care of us and healed us. Now in the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus asks us to go and do likewise to those whom we encounter lying on the opposite side of the road, robbed, beaten up, and left for dead.
© Fr. Tommy Lane 2019
This homily was delivered in a parish in Indiana
More Homilies for the Fifteenth Sunday Year C
The Good Samaritan: thinking purified by Jesus 2010
Father Damien of Molokai was a Good Samaritan
Good Samaritan: the Medicine of Love
Related Homilies: love of neighbor Seeing Jesus in others
If anyone wants to be first he must be servant of all
Today’s Gospel in the context of Luke 2007
stories about helping others
stories about seeing God in others