Good Samaritan?

Today we reach the final week in our Kairos series in which we’ve been exploring what God might be saying to us in some of the practical ways we live our lives, and what invitations there might be from God to grow in faith. We’ve thought about our spiritual practices, our time, and our money, and now we’re thinking about how we are wired – our talents, gifts, the issues we hold dear – and how we use them to partner with God to bring God’s kingdom of justice and peace here on earth as it is in heaven.

Today we hear a story which is so familiar to many of us, and the phrase ‘Good Samaritan’ has become part of common parlance - representing someone who is known for their kindness to a stranger in a moment of distress.

It’s easy to see it as a neat moral parable – and really, it can be summed up as “For God’s sake, be kind to everyone”.

But there’s a rich vein to mine, and it connects to one of the phrases we’ve heard a lot over the past few weeks: “where your treasure is, there your heart is also.” The way in which we choose to serve others also says a lot about our own hearts.

So this passage has two main parts. The first is the interaction between Jesus and the lawyer, the expert in religious law. The second passage is the parable Jesus tells of the Good Samaritan itself.

Let’s take a look at the first section.

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?”

A standard rabbinic question from someone who used to debating the finer workings of the mitzvot, the 613 outworked commandments gathered from the Torah. And this standard question has a standard answer. Jesus, as usual, answers a question with a question.

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 neighbour as yourself.’”

28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

So far, so apple pie. But perhaps in lawyer fashion this guy can’t resist trying to have the last word.

29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?”

And again, instead of answering the question, Jesus tells him a story instead. Like all good stories, it comes in threes. Three bears, three little pigs, three men walk into a pub.

I wonder if you can re-tell that story for me now….

It’s a story we all know pretty well. But for Jesus time it would have been scandalous. Instead of affirming that the kingdom of God is just for the children of Israel, Jesus continues his mission to blow open assumptions about who God is for.

Because the Samaritans and the Jews hated each other. They were locked in a multi-generational battle for land, both believing themselves to be its rightful occupants. Think Israel and Palestine today.

The theological NT Wright says that “these are people that hated each other like poison”. Not a chapter earlier, Jesus has himself begun his journey to Jerusalem and passes through a Samaritan village who refuse to help him and his friends because they are Jewish, and his disciples ask if they should “call fire down from heaven to destroy it”. So Jesus himself just been on the receiving end of race-related animosity. To place a Samaritan as the hero in this story was like pouring petrol onto a bonfire. It’s almost frustrating that we don’t hear what happens next between Jesus and the lawyer as the story ends.

It’s not a neat, tidy, moral story about kind acts – though these of course are great – it is a heart cry against injustice. The kingdom of God is a world in which there is no room for ‘other’ing; where receiving what you need is not predicated on race, religion, gender, age. All are welcome at the table of the King; all are welcome to worship at the throne.

So what does any of this have to do with us, our gifts, our talents, and how we partner with God to help bring to birth this kingdom of justice and peace?

I think the answer lies in the Samaritan himself and the way he serves the man who has suffered the violent assault.

Heart comes first. The Samaritan’s first posture as he sees the man is he was “moved with pity”. We’ve talked about this fun Greek word before: splankneesohmy – literally a gut-punch of compassion. We see this same phrase in Matthew 9.36 as Jesus sees the crowds who have come to him for healing. He is experiencing the woundedness of the man within himself. It’s a reminder of our interconnectedness as the children of God. As the writer of Hebrews said “Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies.” (Hebrew 3.3)

He takes the time to check what’s going on. He’s not afraid to intervene. Unlike the priest, or the Levite, the religious worker, who it appears make assumptions about the man’s status. If he’s dead, stopping to touch him will violate their purity laws, but they don’t bother to check either way.

I know I’m guilty many times of not seeing if anyone needs help because I make assumptions about how they are, or whether or not they’ll accept my help – or that I think they already have what they might need.

He is generous with what he has to hand – his oil, his wine, his time. I know I’m often worried that my helping in a particular situation will result in a level of commitment or expectation that I’m not willing or have capacity to offer. Which brings me to my next observation about the Samaritan –

The Samaritan helps within his means. Yes, he is interruptible and compassionate and his help is self-sacrificial, but he has to recognise his limits. He’s able to help with dressing the man’s wounds. He stays with him overnight in an inn to take care of him. But he himself is on a journey and he must have had other commitments to attend to. He has to know when to carry on and leave him in the hands of others. We too need to know work out what our capacities are so that we can serve others well.

He enables others to help and serve. As he gives two denarii – two days worth of labourers wages and asks the innkeeper to care for him. He provides for others to continue the duty of care he started. And he promises to check in on his return, and cover any other costs. Even though he is not the one directly present, others who can help are supported by his ongoing interest in the man’s care.

So why this passage on service today, particularly as we think about how we serve the body of St Michael’s. Everything we do as a church body should, at its best, be pointing to the kingdom of God as we seek to live like Jesus did. We are all needed to make that happen, we are all uniquely qualified with loves and passions, skills and talents, and we can all play. Indeed when we all take part, it is a prophetic witness to the world that no matter who we are, we belong to the family of God, and they can too. Every little act matters. So that’s why we serve: serving God, serving each other, serving our community.

The Samaritan story reminds us why we serve: because the kingdom of God is bigger and better and greater than we can possibly imagine.

As you do the readings and reflections in this week’s booklet, you’ll be invited to think about how you’re wired, what you love to do, and what ways you too might be invited to serve. God is found in the cross roads of those wirings, dreams and observations.

As you read and reflect, notice what does your heart burn for? What people, situations, places, feel like a gut punch? Notice those.

What are you equipped with? Time, talents, skills, and resources – that can be used to help partner in the kingdom of God.

What do you love doing? How can you make space to support others and do what you love at the same time. For example, do you love creating art, playing board games, or cooking, or a particular sport – can you use that love to make spaces of belonging, healing, or friendship, for others?

What’s already going on that you can partner with? It might not be something that you think you are particularly called for, but how can you support it in other ways to allow others to do what they do best?

But for now, let’s sit with a bit of kairos - what has stood out to you today? What invitatino from God night there be in that? What are you going to to about it? And who are you going to share this with?