The Merciful One

The Parable of the Good Samaritan is the commonly known title to this section of Chapter 10 in Luke.  However, it is not properly a parable nor is there anywhere in the story that indicates that the Samaritan is either good or not good. The story is so well known, and the use of the terms Good Samaritan for laws of the country and the names of various healthcare facilities, that we assume we know what it means.  When a story becomes familiar, we tend to tune it out to the point where it no longer has that initial shock or tug it had when we had our first insights as to what it was trying to convey to us.

            Here is my story that I think encapsulates the meaning of our story in Luke. There was once a woman who had begun to give up on her health.  She had suffered pain in her neck and back nearly every day, so she decided that because of it, she would take all her meals in her room and withdraw from others.  She began to complain about other people and how mean they were.  When questioned about needing a pain pill or a companion, she denied needing anything.  She said she was fine.  She was independent and did not need a companion. She complained to her daughter who complained to the staff of the facility. Every night she would ask the nursing assistants why the woman across the hall was allowed to live there.  She would say day after day, “If people who are mental cases are allowed to live here, I’m moving out. Who can I talk to about this?” The nursing staff was at their wits end.  She would not see things any other way.  They were ready to give up.  She was an angry woman who insisted that she was independent and yet craved the attention she saw the staff giving others. And she was right about everything, wanting no input from anyone else. They tried everything including checking on her every hour and offering a sip of water.  She even claimed to be the most compassionate person around and yet she continued to complain about nearly everyone around her.  Things came to a head.  One of the aids who had witnessed her accidentally burning herself with the curling iron several times put her foot down and said, “Give me that curling iron!” That was the turning point. A few days later, someone or something convinced her that she should start getting out of bed and have her bed made like others on the floor. She began participating in activities and headed up the movie committee.  She began socializing with people at her table and encouraged others to participate in activities and get out of their rooms.  The next activity she decided to attend was Bingo and she inspired two other residents to go with her. What happened to her fully affirms the truth of a quote from Steve Maraboli, “…the best way to love someone is not to change them, but instead, help them reveal the greatest version of themselves.” That can be a real challenge and yet it is a challenge that we are called to do.

            She has not overcome her pain, but has, in some ways, learned to live with it.  She has learned to accept help. The man who was left half dead on the road in the gospel text is in much worse shape.  His options are far less than hers.  He really is at the mercy of someone else to take care of him. He does not live inside the insular walls of a nursing facility.

            What if, in this text, we see God as the one who is half dead?  What if caring for someone we actually despise, as illustrated in this gospel text, means that we care for and love God?  Is this not some sort of measure as to our commitment to and love of God?  Why else would Jesus tell us to love our enemies and pray for them? There is a sense in which God and our neighbor are one and the same.  If the answer to love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul, your mind, and your strength and your neighbor as yourself is this story, then it helps to think of it in that way.  I am showing my love for God when I show it to others.  The words of I John echo in my mind: You cannot love God whom you have not seen if you do not love your neighbor whom you have seen.

            The truth is, many of us engage in tribalism frequently without even realizing it.  And just what is tribalism?  Tribalism is a noun that means, “1) The state of existing as a separate tribe or tribes, 2) The customs and beliefs of a tribal society, and 3) Loyalty to a tribe or tribal values.” In high school, we called these groups cliques.  Cliques had unwritten codes of values and conduct to which members of a clique subscribed.  If members did not adhere to those codes, they were ostracized from the group, possibly even shunned, or became the object of cruel jokes.

            We tend to associate with the people that we feel most comfortable with and who make us feel loved and welcome.  We sense that there is a risk when we travel outside our comfort zones.  When in conversation with others, we try to fit in and not bring up too much controversy for fear that it will offend others in some way.  Yet sometimes, when we dare to throw caution to the wind, we realize that the person we thought was an enemy was someone with whom we did have some common values.  We are all human and all equally children before God and each other.  We need the reminder that God expects us to love each other as God in Jesus Christ loved us and gave himself for us as a living sacrifice.  God entered our story most profoundly in Jesus when Jesus dared to break down the barriers between male and female, the rich and the poor, the Samaritans and the Jews. In uniting with us, Jesus became one of us.  Jesus is both the neighbor who binds our wounds and heals our illness as well as the hated one left for dead.

            How should we approach others who may not meet our criteria of shared values and behavior?  The same way that a young child approaches Mom or Dad when being picked up from babysitting or daycare—with open arms, with energy, smiling and with expressions of joy and excitement.  We need to open our minds to the possibility that we could be wrong about others and their intentions.  People are often contrary when they are not feeling well or their minds are drawn to financial worries.

            Who is my neighbor?  The person you know and love.  The person you can’t stand to be around.  God is your neighbor.  If you have given a drink to the least of the children of God, you have done it to God.  Remember that your names are written in heaven and in thankfulness for that, reach out to others with the same love with which God loves you and Jesus died for you on the cross in order that you may be with God, love and serve God forever and ever.  Our hope and trust is in God because in Jesus, all things are possible, all things are made new and in God is eternal life forevermore. 

            To live into God’s love, we must show mercy to others because God is mercy. By its very nature, mercy is to be shared.  We should not fear, no matter how rough the pathway, because God has tread the pathway beforehand, goes with us and will always be there to strengthen us, and guide us, and bless us with God’s ongoing outpouring of mercy.  The merciful one asks of us just one thing---that we show mercy to others. Amen.