The Good Samaritan

In Canada there is a highway corridor that extends between Prince George and Prince Rupert in British Columbia. This road is known as “The highway of tears.” This road earned its name because it’s believed that nearly 50 women have gone missing while traveling this road since 1970. In July of 2019 a 20 year old woman named Maryanne Alberty made the decision to traverse the road despite the pleas of her family to travel another route. However when you are young, you don’t always listen. The time was about 10pm when Maryanne decided to stop at a small convenience store for gasoline. After pumping gas she returned to her vehicle and resumed her journey. After traveling roughly 2 miles Maryanne heard a loud noise in the front of her vehicle, and her car started to shake. Mary realized she likely had a flat tire. She was aware of the road's reputation, so she decided to change the tire as quickly as possible. She left her vehicle to change the tire when she made a horrifying discovery. Her tire was never flat. Someone had loosened the lug-nuts. Her heart began to race as she quickly opened the trunk only to discover her lug wrench was missing. She could feel her stomach turn as the glow of headlights were quickly approaching. A large truck suddenly pulled into the shoulder and a large man jumped out of the vehicle and attempted to kidnap her. However she was well equipped. She sprayed the man with pepper spray. However his immense strength didn’t falter. It seemed as if she would become another kidnapping statistic. Fortunately another car was approaching, and she saw her chance. With a sudden charge of will power she tried to get free. However in the struggle she accidently threw herself and her kidnapper in front of the approaching car. The kidnapper was thrown under the vehicle and immediately killed. Maryanne was thrown to the side along the shoulder, she was badly wounded. The person driving the vehicle was a woman of similar age to Maryanne. She feared this may be a ruse to orchestrate her own kidnapping. She decided to call the authorities and report the accident. However she decided to flee the area fearing she may be kidnapped as well. However, without someone to immediately tend to her, she would likely die, as the remote area would take some time for the authorities to reach her. It was at this time a man named August Brown happened by. August approached the scene and immediately recognized the kidnapper as a colleague. Unfortunately August made his living trafficking human beings, mostly women. August saw this as an opportunity to make more money. He loaded Maryanne into his vehicle and planned to bring her to a contact. However as he drove along he found himself experiencing something strange, compassion. He suddenly took great pity upon this woman and resolved to make a choice that he himself couldn’t believe. He took the woman to the hospital, and he even ensured the staff tended to her needs. Maryanne would make a full recovery thanks to the assistance of a human trafficker of all people. I wish I could tell you this inspired a life change in August, however that unfortunately wasn’t the case. August continued his life as a trafficker. In March of 2021 August would be killed in a shootout involving a sting operation initialized by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. However for reasons still unknown, this man showed compassion to a vulnerable young woman in the summer of 2019. He is gone, however we are left with questions about the nature of compassion.

If you find this story setting strangely with you, then I doubt you’d be alone. The idea that a man engaged in human trafficking could possibly be the hero of a story like this seems unbelievable. Even worse, the notion that a human trafficker could be the hero of a story is bordering on offensive. Which is sort of the point. Why? Because Jesus did something similar in one of his parables. Jesus created a hero out of a person the local Jewish population would have loathed as we may loathe a person who traffics other people. The parable I am referring to is the parable of the Good Samaritan. Today we continue our series “The parables re-imagined” . The point of this series will be to place one of Jesus' parables in a modern day context. The objective is to perhaps see the teachings of Jesus in the parables with a new perspective. With that said and established, let us dig into our text today.

READ Luke 10:25-29

Luke 10:25–29 ESV

And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall 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 your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

The context of this story begins with a conversation Jesus has with a Pharisee. The subject of this conversation revolves around what Jesus himself calls the “greatest commandment.” The Pharisee correctly recognizes the importance of the command to love your neighbor as yourself. However the Pharisee clearly has another agenda at play. He asks Jesus “who is my neighbor?” The Pharisee WANTED Jesus to affirm his prejudice and disdain for non-Jews. Jesus of course realizes this, and flips his agenda upside down on his head.

READ Luke 10:30-37

Luke 10:30–37 ESV

Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

There are a few things which need to be emphasized in the opening sentence. The road upon which everyone is traveling is extremely dangerous. Between Jerusalem and Jericho, there would be a 3700 height difference. If you traveled between here and Denver on I-70, you would experience a similar height difference in your travel. However the ascent or descent would occur over 849 miles. The 3700 ascent and descent between Jerusalem and Jericho would occur over 17 miles. This steep incline and rocky terrain would make this road extremely dangerous.The road would be lined with various rocks and caves.

The second thing of note in this parable is this. All the people were leaving Jerusalem and going to Jericho. The implication is they were all leaving the synagogue service held in Jerusalem, and we're now going home. So not only did the priest and Levite NOT help this man when they should have, but they had JUST left their worship service. Their worship was empty, because they left the service unchanged. However the actions of a wicked and vile Samaritan were more neighborly then those of well established practicing Jews

Conclusion This of course seems to be the point of Jesus' story. If the people whom we deem to be vile and evil are capable of being a good neighbor to others, then we are without excuse. This is why I Re-imagined this parable with the human trafficker being the hero. Because if it’s even remotely possible that a human trafficker can display compassion, even if it’s just once. How much MORE compassion should we have as Christians? If those we deem vile and detestable are able to show compassion, then we have NO ROOM to negotiate who our neighbor may be. Therefore let us not ask “who is my neighbor” instead let us pray to God that he will empower us to have the heart this man had. (Show picture of Mr Rogers) Instead of asking the question “Who is my neighbor?” Let us instead extend the invitation “Won’t you be my neighbor.”