On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 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.'” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 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. 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.’ Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
–Luke 10:25-37 (TNIV)
We lose the power of this story if we do not know the historical context in which Jesus told this parable. It would have been scandalous and outrageous to any self-respecting Jew who heard it, let alone a teacher of the law, because its hero was a hated Samaritan. Jews and Samaritans hated each other. Jews considered Samaritans half-breeds and Samaritans considered Jews to be apostate and arrogant.
So imagine the shock of hearing Jesus tell that the most respected and honored in Jewish society simply ignored a problem when they saw it while a hated enemy proved to be the hero. It would be like Yankees and Rebels helping each other during the height of the Civil War. No self-respecting person on either side would consider helping a hated enemy! Or it would be like making Osama Bin Laden the hero of a story in which he helps an American in trouble or vice-versa. Unthinkable!
But this is exactly the picture Jesus painted because he wanted to remind his audience (and us) that love in action knows no boundaries or withholds itself from anyone in need. This would make even our enemies eligible to receive acts of love and kindness: the obnoxious boss, the inconsiderate neighbor, the overly competitive co-worker who seeks to climb the ladder of corporate success by climbing up your back, various enemies of the cross who denigrate us by calling us ignorant and bigoted. You get the picture.
Jesus here paints for us a picture of what Kingdom work and discipleship look like. He has reminded us elsewhere that God shows his love and mercy on both the good and the bad, at least for now. If we want to be a follower of Jesus, we must do likewise.
Unappealing as that might sound, there is a pleasant surprise involved. The extent to which my experience is valid, when we act in loving ways toward our neighbor, especially those whom we really do not like and globally defined by Jesus, we find ourselves blessed with meaning and purpose. We feel God’s hand on our shoulder and hear his voice telling us “well done, good and faithful servant.” And that, folks, is worth more than all the worldly riches, power, and honors put together. Try it some time if you have not already done so.