Focus on the Central Claim! Reflections on Luke 10:25-37, Pentecost 5, Year C
by John C. Holbert on Wednesday, May 14, 2025
It is, of course, daunting to add anything to the vast repertoire of commentary on this justly famous parable, a unique addition by Luke to the sacred words of Jesus, never to be forgotten, either by religious folks or by the secular people who rarely delve into such matters. But the so-called “Parable of the Good Samaritan” is ubiquitous in the Christian world, and hence often in the world at large. The content of the parable is so well known as to be a cliche.
A lawyer stands up to test Jesus, indicating that the question about to be asked is a hostile one. “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 10:25). Religious teachers down the ages have been asked such a question by persons anxious for two things: a quick answer to satisfy their need for certainty in the face of human mortality and to make sure that the one being asked knows what he is talking about. Jesus famously asks his own questions of the questioner: “What stands written in the law? How do you read it?” (Luke 10:26). The lawyer clearly knows his stuff, and replies with a combination of Deut.6:5, adding to that three-pronged formulation the fourth phrase “your whole mind (dianoia), along with a direct quote from Lev.19:18. It is in many ways the entire Torah in a nutshell, and has served in that way for all the centuries that followed. Jesus is pleased with the reply: “You answered correctly. Do this and you shall live” (Luke 10:28).
That should be the end of the exchange, but it is not. The lawyer, “wishing to justify himself,” has another question: “But who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29) Rather than accept Jesus’s approval of his answer, and to begin actually “to do this,” that is love his neighbor, the lawyer hedges his bets. Perhaps “neighbor” can be defined in such a way that loving the neighbor will not be difficult or put the lawyer up to much trouble. It is true that Lev.19’s definition of neighbor is quite restricted; it makes the neighbor to be fellow Israelites. Lev.19:33-34 extends the meaning to include the ger, that is, the stranger or sojourner in the land. But now Jesus proceeds to tell a story that will wildly extend the definition of neighbor, and thus will put the lawyer, and us, on the spot.
“A certain man was travelling down from Jerusalem to Jericho” (Luke 10:30). One must “go down” from the holy city, which is at 2200 feet above sea level, to Jericho which, near the Dead Sea, is 750 feet below sea level. It was a notorious place for mayhem against travelers, with many hidden places among the rocks. Sure enough, the man was attacked, beaten, stripped, and left “half dead,” a literal reading of the Greek. Now a priest came down that same road, saw the man, “and passed by on the other side” (Luke 10:31). Likewise, a Levite, a religious authority, saw the man, and “passed by on the other side” (Luke 10:32). Right here more than a few Christian commentators make the most egregious, anti-Jewish statements imaginable. The priest, they say, did not help, fearing ritual impurity with dead bodies. The Levite, they say, did not help because he was too busy with temple duties. Other terrible comments make these two Jewish officials out to be little less than uncaring monsters. Of course, any reading of the story, even a cursory one, must note that no reasons at all are provided by Jesus for the avoidance of the man. Reading Jewish literature of the near period would make it plain that Jewish law demanded care for even a wounded animal, let alone a human being. The claim that ritual purity or over busyness stopped them from help is frankly ludicrous, and only adds to the negative views of Judaism too often fostered for Christians by such absurd and ignorant statements.
The central concern of Jesus’ story is to clarify for the self-aggrandizing lawyer precisely who his neighbor is. Down the road comes a Samaritan, a pseudo-Jew at best, a participant in a false religion, according to orthodox Jews, who should rightfully be shunned by all who practice Judaism correctly. Surprise, surprise! It is the Samaritan who stops for the man, who “felt compassion,” (Luke 10:33), who bandages his wounds, who put the man on his own animal, who took him to an inn, who pulled out two silver coins for the innkeeper, and who promised to pay the innkeeper whatever is owed upon his return to see after the wounded man. So, Jesus pops the central question: “Which of these three turned out to be neighbor..? (Luke 10:36). The lawyer gives the only reply he can: “The one who treated him with mercy” (Luke 10:37). We note that he does not identify the compassionate one as Samaritan, because his identity has just made the call to serve neighbor vastly more difficult. The lawyer got far more than he bargained for, because we note he cannot even name the man a Samaritan; Samaritans have now become his neighbor—and ours.
I find it nothing less than appalling what is happening to my country now due to the ignorant and egregious foolishness practiced by the current president of the USA. Within a bare 100 days, President Trump has made enemies of long-time friends, has tanked the formerly booming stock market, has denied due process to hundreds of so-called “enemy aliens,” and has claimed again and again that he is history’s greatest commander-in-chief. His MAGA followers appear still to applaud his every move, while I stand by horrified nearly every day. However, is the MAGA crowd my neighbor? According to the one I claim to follow, they are, including their leader. If the parable is to have lasting meaning, and if I am to live in God’s realm, I simply must do “likewise,” taking the Samaritan as my model and act on behalf of neighbors both near and far and at times odious in my sight.