Another look at the Good Samaritan: Luke 10:25–37

On one occasion, an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 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.’” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you shall live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply Jesus said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins 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.’ Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:25–37) ¹

Our lesson begins with an expert in the law asking Jesus what appears to be a simple question—probably a question every Jewish man would know how to answer and certainly a question every teacher or rabbi, like Jesus, could easily answer. Maybe this was the point; the “expert in the law” did not think Jesus was knowledgeable in the law. This assumption was not without merit, because Luke informs us that his question was designed to test Jesus. Thus, he stood up and asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 10:25). In my creative imagination, I wonder if the lawyer, after standing to ask his question, remained standing with the intent of swiftly correcting Jesus, had he given the wrong answer. Probably to his surprise, however, Jesus did not answer his question directly. Instead, Jesus asked the expert to answer his own question, thereby passing the challenge back to him. Jesus asked, “How do you understand this reading of the law?” (Luke 10:26). Now the expert had a chance to demonstrate his knowledge before the people, so he confidently recited, “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” (Luke 10:27). Jesus said, “You have answered correctly. Now go do this and you will be fine. That is, you will have eternal life.” ² Yet, what is interesting here is that the expert was not satisfied. One may ask why he was not satisfied, as Jesus clearly affirmed the lawyer’s answer to the question. Perhaps the solution to this problem lies in the second part of the commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Was the lawyer trying to get Jesus to lose favor with the people by leading him to say openly that the Jews needed to love their Roman oppressors or other less desirable Gentiles? Certainly, we can assume that the expert (in his mind) loved God, but the second part of the commandment, about loving your neighbor as yourself, was apparently up for debate. Many Jews were well aware of God’s teaching regarding the love of their fellow Israelites and their need to treat strangers with kindness, as commanded in Leviticus. ³ There were probably other, more exclusive voices as well. Certainly, many Jews felt they were better than Gentiles, who were uncircumcised, worshipped idols, and ate meat sacrificed to those idols. And what about those tax collectors and prostitutes, whom just about everyone despised: should they also be considered neighbors? When we consider some of these concerns, the question “Who is my neighbor” seems quite appropriate. By asking Jesus this question, however, the expert of the law threw the challenge back to Jesus. Once again, Jesus did not give him a direct answer, nor did he enter into a debate with him. Rather, Jesus told a story so compelling that everyone listening (including the expert) would not only find the answer to the question but would also be challenged from that point forward to consider everything they did in the light of God’s all-encompassing love.

Jesus began by placing his story in a setting that was very familiar to his audience. He told of a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho, along the dangerous Jericho road—a road that many of his listeners had likely traveled many times. As a result, they were probably not at all surprised when Jesus informed them that robbers accosted the traveler in his story, beat him half to death, and left him to die on the roadside. (Years ago, I had the privilege of traveling down the Jericho road as a seminary student. I was able to witness first-hand the many twists and turns in the road that would allow for such an attack.) The story of being attacked on the Jericho road was not unusual, then. Nor was it uncommon for priests and Levites to travel that route. Many of them lived in Jericho and would travel to Jerusalem to perform their duties at the Temple. ⁴ Yet, the next part of the story may have been a little unsettling to the expert in the law. Neither the priest nor the Levite came off well, because they both refused to offer any assistance to the wounded man. Moreover, to make matters worse, they did not display any compassion or sympathy, for when they saw the wounded man, they passed by on the other side of the road (Luke 10:31–32). Yet, the third person in the story, who just happened to be a Samaritan, did the opposite. Not only did he stop and offer first aid to the victim, he also put the man on his donkey and brought him to safety. He then went the extra mile by providing care for the man until he was able to recover fully by leaving a down payment with the innkeeper and offering to pay any additional cost that the latter might incur while the man was recovering (Luke 10:35). The contrast between the first two religious leaders and the Samarian is striking. Whereas the first two refused even to get involved, the Samaritan went the extra mile to help the wounded victim.

Now at the conclusion of this story Jesus turns to the expert in the law and asks him a question like the one the expert had asked him. It is important to notice, however, that Jesus changes the question ever so slightly. He does not ask simply, “Who is my neighbor?” No, Jesus now asks the expert, “Which one of the three men in the story showed himself to be a neighbor?” Now it was probably a little painful for this expert of the law to answer the question, because his comrades did not fare well. Moreover, the hero of the story was a Samaritan, someone from a social group that the Jewish community often ostracized. ⁵ Perhaps this is why the expert could not even bring himself to say the word “Samaritan” when he answered Jesus’ question; he simply said, “the one who showed mercy” (Luke 10:37). Jesus then said, “Go and do likewise,” challenging the expert to “love his neighbor, as now newly understood, with the kind of concrete expression of compassion that had just been exemplified by the Samaritan.” ⁶

In Martin Luther King, Jr.’s book Strength to Love, the great preacher and civil rights leader offers other insights into this powerful lesson. He suggests that one reason for the religious leaders’ failure to act was their fear of harm; they may have said to themselves: “If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?” ⁷ King goes on to suggest that the Good Samaritan was able to help because he reversed the question: “If I do not stop to help, what will happen to this man”? ⁸ As a result, the Good Samaritan was able to show both the love of God and what it meant to be a neighbor. He had to put himself at risk to accomplish the task; this is no easy task, to be sure. King suggests that at times like the one described in Jesus’ parable we discover who we are as human beings:

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige, and even his life for the welfare of others. In dangerous valleys and hazardous pathways, he will lift some bruised and beaten brother to a higher and nobler life. ⁹

In the example of the good Samaritan, who knew what it meant to be a good neighbor, Jesus presented a story that invited one to think about the love of God and how that love is demonstrated to others in times of need. Viewed in this light, the race or class of an individual is not important. What is important is one’s willingness to demonstrate God’s love. Jesus’ example is particularly powerful because no one knows for sure how she or he will act when a crisis arises. Thus, King’s challenge keeps us in a place of humility, leading us to pray that we can exhibit such godly love when faced with unexpected challenges and controversy.

The story of the Good Samaritan also has a special place in my heart because I have, at times, been allowed the privilege of helping the less fortunate, but also, and more importantly, because my family experienced this godly, neighborly love at the most opportune time. When my father’s oldest sister died, he decided to rent a large motor-home so that several family members could travel to Oklahoma, where the funeral was to be held. They greatly enjoyed the trip, because they were able to keep their spirits up by retelling family stories and enjoying each other’s company. Moreover, when they arrived in Oklahoma, other family members greeted them and showed them the royal treatment. The funeral itself turned out to be a grand celebration. Things turned for the worse on their way back to California, however. Early in their trip, they encountered a powerful rainstorm with heavy winds. My aunt lost control of the motor-home, hit an embankment, and sent the motor-home crashing down the hillside. It came apart, and my family members were thrown across the hillside, bleeding and in pain. My father, who was not severely injured, made his way to the edge of the highway and flagged down a truck driver, pleading, “Please help us.” The truck driver went to his CB radio and called other truckers in the area to help. My dad tells how “within minutes, truckers came from everywhere, offering first aid to our wounded family members.” Indeed, just like the Good Samaritan in our lesson, these truckers went the extra mile: they stayed to help the ambulance workers carry every family member up the hill and into the waiting ambulances. A few of my family members were seriously injured that day, but my father insists some would have died had it not been for the kindness of those truckers on that “Jericho highway” in Oklahoma. When my father first related this story to me, I immediately thought of the Good Samaritan of Luke’s gospel. I have since preached this lesson many times at the church where I pastor in Richmond, California, often retelling the story of how some “Good Samaritan truckers,” who just happened to be white, showed a black family what it meant to be a neighbor and what it meant to experience God’s love. ¹⁰ Although I did not personally make the trip to Oklahoma with my family, every time I speak of this incident, my eyes well up with tears of joy and thankfulness.

Ministry in the public domain

In closing out our discussion, I would like to raise another point regarding the story of the Good Samaritan: a concern for the robbers. We never talk about them, but we should ask: what happened in their lives that made them become robbers? As an African American parent, scholar, and pastor, I believe we must try to make a difference among the most vulnerable in our society. If we do this, we can prevent some from becoming perpetrators. Currently, far too many boys and men of color are exhibiting destructive behavior. It is true that we have more black men attending college than ever before, but it is also true that we have more black men in prison than ever before, and the murder rate among black and brown men in our major cities is appalling. It is so bad that many of our black and brown boys live with post-traumatic stress disorder as a way of life. They have witnessed too many of their friends and family members being murdered by gun violence.

A few years ago, in an effort to be part of the solution and help decrease gun violence in Richmond, California, I joined an organization called Contra Costa Interfaith Supporting Community Organization, or CCISCO. This organization has many projects designed to help vulnerable persons in the community organize so they can have a voice in their future. One of the projects with which I became involved was their Cease Fire Program. Every Friday night, a group of clergy, residents, and community leaders meet at the local church in the community we have agreed to canvass. We discuss strategies, pray together, and encourage one another before going out into the street to minister to the vulnerable. If there has been a shooting that week, we send ministers to victims’ homes as soon as possible, if the family will allow us to visit them. We want the victims to know that someone cares about them and that together we can chart a better future. After my first year with Cease Fire, the murder rate in the city of Richmond decreased by 35%. Admittedly, in the years following, the murder rate has not decreased dramatically each year; it is clear, however, that the Cease Fire Program, along with the Office of Neighborhood Safety and other groups, continues to have a positive impact in the city of Richmond. ¹¹

After I had worked with Cease Fire for a few years, my Dean, LeAnn Snow Flesher, suggested that I teach a class that would equip ABSW students with tools that would prepare them for urban ministry. After some discussion, we decided to name the class “Reclaiming Our Community.” I have since taught this class several times. There are three things that I would like to highlight about the course. First, the main text we use for the course is Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow. ¹² This book is excellent in that Alexander charts the abuses of the penal system and the ways it has failed many African Americans. Second, I invite speakers, like the renowned civil rights attorney John Burris, to speak with our students about the law and how our courts have often failed our black and brown residents. Third, every student in the class is required to do a night-walk on the last night of the course. Students are moved by this experience every time, because throughout the evening they get to experience what it means be a good neighbor and to display God’s love to those who are hurting.

The story of the Good Samaritan is rich with interpretations and ideas for Christian living. At the heart of this lesson is a challenge for believers to show the love of God to those in need, including those who are most vulnerable in our society. King’s challenge must ever remain before our eyes: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” ¹³ Today, in many segments of our community, we are in times of challenge and controversy. Consequently, it is critical we take ministry out of the church and into the public square.