Model of goodness

15th Sunday of the Ordinary Time
The Good Samaritan
July 15, 2007
Deuteronomy 30:10-14
Psalm: 69:14, 17, 30-31, 33-34, 36, 37 or 19:8, 9, 10, 11
Colossians 1:15-20
Luke 10:25-37

Good Samaritan in the bar:
A man is having a few drinks at a bar when he looks over and notices a drunk man passed out at a table nearby. The bartender tells him the drunk is Mr. Murphy and asks the man if he could drive Mr. Murphy home. Being a Good Samaritan, the man agrees. The bartender writes down the address and gives it to him. The man walks over and tries to wake Mr. Murphy but Murphy is groggy. The man helps him to his feet but Murphy falls to the floor. "Gosh," the man says, wondering how anyone could drink so much. He takes Murphy by the arm and practically drags him out to the car. Once there he leans him against the side of his car while he looks for his keys. Mr. Murphy slides down to the ground. The man finds his keys and manages to get Murphy positioned in the car.

He then drives to the address the bartender gave him, opens the passenger door and helps Mr. Murphy out, but Murphy falls to the ground again. Angry and annoyed, the man helps Murphy to his feet and practically drags him to the front door. He lets go of Murphy, knocks on the door and Murphy falls down again. The man helps him to his feet as Mrs. Murphy answers the door. "Hi, Mrs. Murphy, Your husband had a little too much to drink tonight so I gave him a ride home." "That was nice of you Good Samaritan," she says, looking around, "But where's the wheelchair of my crippled husband?"

Introduction
We describe a person as a Good Samaritan based on the parable we heard today: a compassionate person who unselfishly helps others. The Good Samaritan person in the parable was the only person to aid a stranger person who had been beaten and robbed.

Last month we were shocked about the shooting incident in Melbourne CBD, where a 43 year-old solicitor, Brendan Keilar, was shot dead after trying to rescue Kaera Douglas. Witnesses and reporters were quick to describe Brendan as a good Samaritan, as being someone who voluntarily offers help or sympathy even to a stranger in times of trouble.

On the contrary, during the time of Jesus to say someone is a “good Samaritan” was a contradictory in itself. The Jews treated the Samaritans as heretical people, schismatic group, worst than pagans, in short, using our language today the Jews saw the Samaritans as bastard race.

There was a deep division between the Jews and Samaritans both politically and religiously that originated even in early Israelite history. They were enemies, and, in fact, the rivalry between them is reflected several times in the bible. Remember the gospel reading a week before last week, a Samaritan village refused hospitality to Jesus and his disciples on their way from Galilee to Jerusalem, where Jesus rebuked his disciples on their anger. Also there was an occasion in the Gospel when the disciples were scandalized seeing Jesus having a conversation with a Samaritan woman.

So when Jesus told the story of a Samaritan helping a Jew everyone was probably shocked. A Samaritan outcast helping a Jew would have seemed like a bad joke—a contradiction in terms.

Who is my neighbour?
Jesus told this story of the parable of the Good the Samaritan in response to the Jewish scholar who came to test him asking “who is my neighbour?”

Based the parable Jesus’ answer was clear: our neighbour is anyone in need.

But, then, Jesus twists the question back to him, “Who is the neighbour of the robbers’ victim?” The answer of course, is the Samaritan, he or she is the one who treated the person with mercy. Even people outside our religious circle are good people and van even perform great act of kindness.

Concrete challenge
Let us ask ourselves:
Who are we in the parable?
Are we aware of the needs of other people?
Third question, are we merciful and loving like the Good Samaritan even to the stranger who is need?

Jericho Road
Jesus mentions Jericho Road as the scene of the parable of the good Samaritan. Geographically speaking modern Jericho lies about 23 miles from Jerusalem via a winding mountain road which makes it a favorite haunt of highway robbers even into today.

However, Jesus is telling us, that the Jericho Road is any place where people are being robbed, whether of their dignity, their material goods or their value as human beings. It is any place where there is suffering and oppression, a place where people stumble and fall.

As a matter of fact, the Jericho Road may be our own home, the place where we take care of our parents, husband or wife, or our children. The Jericho Road may be our work place, or our parish community where we see people, ailing person, mother, young people, children, “wounded” by bitter words, criticism, prejudices, abuses and so on.

May we all be inspired by the parable of the Good Samaritan and be challenged to respond lovingly to command of Jesus: “Go, and do likewise.”