Rev. Jason Forbes
It’s a cheesy line from the introductory song to what was a popular Australian TV soap opera, “Neighbours”. But I think it’s a line that Jesus would endorse – everybody needs good neighbours. So, we should ask, what does it mean to be a good neighbour?
As Presbyterians, we are big on proclaiming the gospel and making Jesus known. After all, according to Matthew’s gospel, Jesus’ last words to his disciples during his earthly ministry were, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matt 28:19–20). We take this great commission very seriously. We make every effort to make Jesus known. We are diligent in our theological study and teaching of Scripture. We are wary of anything that might distract us from the centrality of Christ or do anything that might give the slightest suggestion that we are saved by anything other than God’s grace. But is this what it means to be a good neighbour?
Teaching the people to observe everything that Jesus commanded is certainly part of being a good neighbour. But it doesn’t capture everything that being a good neighbour is. If we limit being a neighbour to simply teaching, we’ve barely begun to grasp what it is to be a neighbour. Jesus bears out what it is to be a good neighbour in an exchange with a lawyer (Luke 10:25–37).
The context is, Jesus may well have still been in private conference with his disciples (v. 23) when he is interrupted by a lawyer. By lawyer, we must not think of a civil lawyer who is detached from religious fervour. No, this is an expert in what we now know as the Old Testament law and was part of the religious establishment along with the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes. This is a learned man who knows how to put up an argument. He’s an academic! An argument is precisely what he is looking for, and he’s looking for one from Jesus.
We know he’s looking for an argument because Luke tells us that he intended to test Jesus as a teacher and from the ensuing exchange he has with Jesus. This wasn’t a genuine inquiry, but an attempt to expose Jesus as a false teacher. This is a person who put great importance on his religious values and expectations and takes great delight in defending them. So, he puts a question to Jesus, “what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (v. 25).
The lawyer is asking what will qualify him for eternal life – as though eternal life is a job position, and his asking what qualifications, what bits of paper, does he need to get the job? Or what boxes does he need to tick to make sure he’s in? He wants to know the limitations of what is required. He’s really looking for Jesus to affirm his values and expectations. If Jesus doesn’t affirm him, then Jesus is obviously a false teacher – a well strategised “gotcha” moment, or so the lawyer thought.
Jesus sees right through our pretences, as sure as he saw right through this lawyer. The lawyer is looking to expose Jesus as an adversary of Judaism. This is why Jesus throws the question back onto him. Jesus asks, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” (v. 26). By asking this question, Jesus shows himself as someone who upholds the law – contrary to the lawyer’s assumptions. What Jesus does oppose is misuse of the law that stifles love and mercy. As we will find out, what Jesus opposes is placing limits on what it means to love people.
The lawyer already knows the answer. He answers his own question by saying, “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 neighbour as yourself.” (v. 27). Top answer! If this was a theological exam, this guy is getting full marks – one hundred percent!! Eternal life is about love and devotion that involves more than an hour on Sunday and maybe some prayer in the week. When the lawyer talks about loving God with all of your heart, soul, strength and mind, he is talking about our whole being. Our entire lives are to be devoted to God. Bock describes this devotion as placing,
God at the centre of one’s spiritual life and responds to others in love. The depth of one’s devotion is emphatically underlined by the repeated reference to the various parts of the body that contribute energy to this love. Heart, soul [or life or consciousness], strength, and mind – the whole person – contribute to this response.” (Italics mine)
The lawyer knows that eternal life is not about qualifications or ticking boxes. It’s about having an inner disposition towards God that shows itself in love and mercy being extended to others. This is what it means to love God. Jesus affirms him in his answer (v. 28). The problem is this answer does not address what is important to the lawyer – his values and expectations concerning the nation of Israel. The lawyer values national distinction as the expectation of national prominence is maintained just as Israel was under King David followed by his son, Solomon. Because of the lawyer’s values and expectations, he is desperate to qualify who is his neighbour. He wants to put limits on who he is required to love (v. 29).
While the law required that foreigners living in Israel were to be regarded as neighbours (Lev 19:33–34), the courtesy did not extend to those who encroached on nationalistic values. This included Romans who had annexed Israel at the time, and any Gentile who was not part of the covenant community. It is this concern on the lawyer’s part that Jesus responds to with the story of a Samaritan to demonstrate that there are no such limits on loving others.
The story that Jesus tells of a man travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho and being mugged on the way is a highly plausible situation (v. 30). We’re really not told that much about the mugging – who the man was, who his attackers were, why they attacked him, and what they took. All we know is this was a merciless random attack leaving a man half dead, naked, and bleeding on the side of the highway. You see, we don’t need a lot of information to figure out when someone is in need. No one coming along the road that day would have seen this man and thought, “Naked, bleeding, barely conscious. Nah. He’ll be ‘right!” He is not alright. Clearly, this is a person in need. Regardless of who he is, what he does, or where he’s come from and why, unless someone helps him, he is going to die.
Finally, someone does come – a priest (v. 31). He’s probably been doing his priestly duties in the temple in Jerusalem and now he’s on the way back home. Obviously, he would have valued his position as a priest, and had expectations around maintaining his status. So, when he sees the man on the side of the road, the priest gives him a wide berth and keeps on walking. Why didn’t he stop to help? Well, it could be that as a priest he didn’t want to come in contact with a dead body (Cf. Num 6:6–12; 19:11–13). Except firstly, if the priest had completed his duties, coming in contact with a dead body wouldn’t have been a problem; and secondly, the man wasn’t dead – yet!
The reality is, we don’t know why the priest didn’t help. We’re not told! It’s as though Jesus is inviting the lawyer, and indeed us, to step into the priest’s shoes and fill in the blank for ourselves. Especially for the lawyer because priests weren’t that far removed from lawyers. In fact, some priests were lawyers. In a very clever way, Jesus is putting this lawyer in the story and exposing his hypocrisy. That’s the first sting in the story. The Samaritan is yet to come.
So, let’s step into the priest’s shoes and ask why we would have given this man a wide birth? Maybe we would have thought, “Clearly, this man needs a doctor, and I don’t even know how to put a band-aid on. I can’t help!”. Or we might think it’s an ambush, and if we stop, we’ll be mugged as well. Or maybe your family is expecting you for dinner, and you’re already late. Or maybe you’ve had a bad day, and you just don’t need to become involved in someone else’s “bad day” (to make an understatement!). The reality is, there is always a plethora of reasons not to get involved. We don’t need to go looking for one! It would have been the same for the priest in the story.
Next, a Levite, who is another one of the officials at the temple comes down the road (v. 32). There may be some suggestion in the text that he took a closer look at the man, but he basically does the same thing as the priest and gives this man a wide birth. So, why add the Levite to the story? What does he contribute?
Well, it could be that by including this Levite Jesus is being critical of the religious establishment as a whole. It wasn’t just a wayward priest that was the problem, but there was a systematic problem. At a societal level, there were values and expectations being maintained that were in reality a distraction from God’s purposes for his people. Values that were based on ancestry – that they were God’s chosen people, and expectations around national prominence that meant maintaining racial distinction was more important than acts of mercy. That’s the second sting in the story.
Of course, our society is very much the same only in different ways. We value individuality, personal autonomy, self-sufficiency, and so we have the expectation that people, in general, will be able to exhibit these values to a reasonable extent. Because these are such high values, we tend to avoid people and situations that will encroach upon our individuality, autonomy, and self-sufficiency. We have a systematic problem where our society and culture puts value on the wrong things, and it impacts where we place our values. It also needs to be asked how much of our prayer lives revolve around our values and expectations instead of God’s? How often do we kneel before God’s throne as humble servants, and ask to be empowered to show mercy?
Or, maybe as a denomination, we are concerned to maintain our theological distinction. We don’t want to be associated with another group that has a confused understanding of the gospel, or perhaps no gospel at all! Maintaining our theological distinction is a good thing. We want to be known as those who faithfully teach Scripture. But, if teaching Scripture becomes more important than living Scripture, that is not a good thing. To teach Scripture is to live Scripture, and to live Scripture is to show mercy.
So, what is it to show mercy? The character of the Samaritan is the final sting in the story (v. 33). We know from John’s gospel that Jews did not associate with Samaritans, and they had a clash over the location of worship with its origins in the conquest of the Promised Land (John 4:9, 20). Yet, it’s this disdained character of the Samaritan that demonstrates what it is to show mercy.
Five aspects of showing mercy can be recognised in the Samaritan’s actions:
Firstly, showing mercy involves being vulnerable. Many of the reasons for us not helping this mugging victim are real and significant threats. Yet, the Samaritan goes to him (Luke 10:34). He puts the man’s need before his.
Secondly, showing mercy is sacrificial in nature. The Samaritan went to the man and bandaged his wounds treating them with oil and wine. I don’t expect this Samaritan was carrying a first-aid kit. So, it needs to be asked, where did the bandages come from? More than likely Jesus’ listeners presumed that the bandages would have come from the Samaritan’s own clothing. The Samaritan forwent his covering to cover the wounds of a stranger. And I’m sure he’d rather had drunk the wine rather than treat the man’s wounds. But mercy means using our resources, as limited as they may be, for the benefit of others.
Thirdly, mercy involves doing extra. The text doesn’t say exactly what animal that the Samaritan had, but it was obviously an animal that can carry loads. The Samaritan puts the man on his animal which probably means he’s walking! He takes on an extra burden so he can get this man to safety.
Fourthly, mercy involves providing generously for others (v. 35). Evidently the man needed care, and the Samaritan didn’t simply leave the responsibility to someone else. The Samaritan puts his money where his mouth is and provides incentive for the innkeeper, who were not renowned for their hospitality, to care for him. Commentators suggest the amount of money would have been sufficient for anything from a week to a month’s worth of accommodation. This is a substantial amount of money. Then in addition to that, the Samaritan tells the innkeeper that he’s good for any other expenses. This is radical generosity.
Fifthly, mercy involves following people up. Notice how the Samaritan doesn’t think that his job is done just because the man is at the safety of the inn. He plans to come back, presumably to check up on the man. There is ongoing connection that he will intentionally pursue. This has the added bonus of keeping the innkeeper accountable and the man less vulnerable. Remember, this man has been found half dead on the side of the highway. He is still in trauma. He is nowhere near up to defending for himself yet. Mercy needs to be ongoing.
Can you imagine being the mugging victim in this story? In one day experiencing unbridled violence and being treated like garbage thrown in the gutter, followed by unqualified mercy, and treated like royalty by a stranger. Going from exploited vulnerability to certain security. Wouldn’t you think that mercy was coming from God himself?
That’s exactly what we’re meant to think! Because that’s the kind of mercy we’ve all received from God. We’ve all been mugged. Mugged by sin and stripped of our humanity. We’ve all been left naked in the gutter covered by nothing but our own shame. But then mercy comes from the one who was despised – Jesus. Jesus makes himself vulnerable, and steps into our humanity as an infant in need of a mother. Jesus sacrifices himself, not just forgoing clothes and drink, but his very life. Jesus takes on a burden that wasn’t his and walks to the cross carrying our sin. Jesus takes away our shame and covers our wounds with his blood. Jesus provides for our eternal life by ascending to heaven and making intercession to the Father. Jesus gives abundantly by empowering us by his Spirit to live for God and thereby restoring our humanity. Jesus follows us up through the care of his people. Jesus is the ultimate neighbour.
The Samaritan shows mercy that cannot be denied or questioned. So much so, the lawyer with all his smarts can’t deny that it was the Samaritan who showed mercy when asked, even though he can’t bring himself to say the word “Samaritan” (v. 36–37). It wasn’t the “gotcha” moment that he had planned.
How is it that the Samaritan was the agent of such mercy in Jesus’ story, and not the priest or the Levite? Because the Samaritan wasn’t held back by what he thought was important. For this Samaritan, the life of a stranger, a fellow human being, was exceedingly more important than any of his other concerns.
The lawyer asked, “Who is my Neighbour?” But the question that Jesus answered was, “What does it mean to be a neighbour?” Jesus’ answer assumes everyone is our neighbour. Neither race, religion, demographic, background, income bracket, post code, occupation, gender, have anything to do with who our neighbour is. The real question is, are we being a neighbour?
Are we prepared to set aside what we think is important in order to extend God’s mercy to others? Mercy that is vulnerable, sacrificial, burdensome, costly and ongoing? Vulnerability is something we seem desperate to escape in the modern day with never ending legislation, policies, guidelines, and insurance companies deciding what can and can’t be done. Being sacrificial is risky when we don’t know what’s around the corner in an uncertain world. I’m sure we all have enough on our plate without being burdened by someone else’s misfortune. And who has time to follow anything up? Why would we give our resources when the government can provide? Why would we do mercy at all?
Because mercy like this cannot be denied, even amongst the most staunch of opponents. Wouldn’t it be great to hear someone say, “it’s those people over there that show mercy!” Wouldn’t be great to be one of “those people”. Wouldn’t be great if our actions earned us some airtime to proclaim God’s word to an unbelieving world.
But much more than this. We do mercy because this is what it means to love God with ALL our being, and to love others as we love ourselves. You can’t love God, and then not do mercy. It just doesn’t reflect who God is. By not doing mercy, you’re reflecting something other than God. Devotion to God and doing mercy to others cannot be separated. They go hand in hand. Wouldn’t it be great if people could not only hear the gospel being taught, but see the gospel being lived.
As your neighbour in the NSW Presbyterian Church, Jericho Road runs a number of ministries on behalf of the Presbyterian Church. These are things that are too big for a local congregation to run on their own, but they are things that are important for us to run together. As your neighbour, we want to work with you and your church to make seeking justice, showing mercy, and making Jesus known a part of every day in your community.
We want to work with you and your church to make seeking justice, showing mercy and making Jesus known a part of every day in your community. Our aim is that together, the NSW Presbyterian church can be a neighbour to those in need, and extend mercy that is vulnerable, sacrificial, willing to take on burdens, radically generous, and ongoing.
As your neighbour, this is what’s happening at our place: Allowah, Chaplaincy, Counselling Services, Early Childhood Services, Conduct Protocol Unit, Disability Advocacy, Emergency and Refugee Response.
At Jericho Road, we would love for individuals and churches to become our neighbours and be part of what we’re doing at our place. We would also love to become your neighbour and be part of what you could be doing at your place. Here are some suggestions:
- Community Kitchen - providing dinner to anyone in need of food or company.
- Caring for the Community - staying in touch with what’s happening in the neighbourhood, and if there is someone in need getting together a care pack and some meals.
- Services - holding a special service for those dealing with grief and loss, especially around Christmas.
- Support - backing people and their work in local churches who work for justice or showing mercy,
- Helping the lonely - putting on a Christmas lunch for those who will be alone or hosting an afternoon tea a few times a year.
- Food - operating a food ministry.
- Playgroup - running a playgroup, particularly one that is inclusive.
- Support groups - hosting support groups, such as one for parents of kids with disabilities, folk with mental illness, those dealing with grief, over-comers outreach and carers.
- Study Hall - providing a place for senior high school students who need a quiet space, a coffee and a listening ear.
- Breakfast - supporting a group that provides breakfasts for kids at school.
Of course, there are many other things we could be doing at your place, and it’s exciting to hear what others are already doing. We would love to be part of what you’re doing and show undeniable mercy to people who need to hear and see the gospel.
Being a neighbour is certainly about teaching people about Jesus. But it’s also about showing mercy to people in need. Rather than being a distraction from teaching the gospel, mercy ministries enhance our teaching by demonstrating in practical and relevant ways what is being taught. If we aren’t doing this, we need to examine ourselves and ask what are our values and expectations as a church? Are the things that we regard as important holding us back? What are the things that compel us to give those in need a wide birth? Are we, in fact, loving God with our whole being?
Is it that we don’t want to be vulnerable, or go without for the sake of someone else? Is it that we feel tired, and we don’t want to take on any more work? What’s stopping us from being generous and following people up?
The point of these questions is not to dismiss any concerns we may have. The story that Jesus tells sets a very high standard. But, if we’re to come anywhere near this standard, we need to be realistic about the concerns we have and discuss them. We need to consider how we may support one another to extend God’s mercy to those in need.
Jericho Road is here to be your neighbour so that together we can be a neighbour to those in need.