WHO IS YOUR SAMARITAN?

I've been thinking about Samaritans lately. Not that I know any actual Samaritans, but I have a feeling there are people who, in my mind, could wear the label. Not necessarily the "good" kind of Samaritan - I mean those people who don't believe in God in the same way I do. Here's what I've been thinking:

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

Luke 10:25-37 New International Version (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.”

In Jesus’ time, the Jews hated the Samaritans. Basically, they were Jews who had bad theology, and were therefore heretics in the eyes of those who upheld the Jewish laws. In another story, in John 4, Jesus talks with a Samaritan woman. In this story he notes that the Samaritans worship God incorrectly, but it’s not the central issue for him. The woman is central.

In the story of the Good Samaritan, people are again central to the story. He does not comment on who in the story has correct theology or even on who might be a “sinner” in the eyes of the Law. His point is that the heretic was the person who pleased God.

I believe that God loves people more than he loves his laws. He gave us the Law for our benefit, not the other way around. When we hurt people in order to defend God’s Law, we are accomplishing the exact opposite of God’s purpose. When zeal for the Law overrides love for people, there is something wrong. At the risk of being repetitive, let me say it again: God loves people. Jesus died on the cross for people, not for the Law.

The title of this piece is, “Who is your Samaritan?” Which person or group of people do you attack because they are living outside of God’s Law or because you think they have heretical beliefs? Jesus never attacked or condemned the Samaritans or anyone else who lived outside the Law. On the other hand, he had an awful lot to say to the Pharisees, who prided themselves on upholding the Law.

Currently, we have a political situation in our state in which Christians have been urged to vote a certain way, in order to uphold God’s law. That’s not what bothers me. What bothers me is the way Christians have treated those who disagree with them, both in word and deed. We are attacking people for whom Christ died. We are condemning people God has called us to reach out to.

Can we find a way to uphold our beliefs and still love people who disagree with us? Jesus, who has the right to judge every one of us, was not sent to condemn us, according to John 3:17. It is not our place to condemn the world. Jesus told his disciples in John 6:8 that this is the job of the Holy Spirit: “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.” (NASB) Our job is only to be a witness to what God has done in our lives.

Who is more pleasing to God? The person whose theology is wrong, but treats people with love, or the “Christian” who attacks them?

Who is your Samaritan?