A religious scholar asked Jesus a question, to test his adherence to the law. “Teacher, what do I need to do to ensure I will live forever?”
Jesus answered his question with a question, “How do you interpret the scriptures?”
The scholar, taken back that now he was on the hot seat, took a moment before answering, “That you love the Lord your God with all your passion, that you pray, that you serve God with your whole life—and that you love your neighbor as much as you do yourself.”
“Great answer!” said Jesus. “Do it and you will live.”
Not satisfied, and still looking for an argument, the scholar asked, “Well then, how would you define ‘neighbor’?”
Jesus answered by launching into a story.
“There was once a man traveling to New York City to visit the site where his brother was killed in a terrorist attack. He was looking for a way to deal with his emotions and find some healing. As he walked to the memorial he was accosted by a Christian man who assumed he was a Muslim because of the taqiyah on his head. “You have no right to be here!” he yelled at him.
The man stuttered in broken English, “I’ve come to pay my respects and pray.”
“If you had any common sense you would know you aren’t welcome here, just like we aren’t welcome in your country!”
The sojourner walked on, head bowed. He hoped the next person he met would be more receptive to his visit. It wasn’t the case. As the Jewish Rabbi saw him coming down the street he jay-walked to the other side so he wouldn’t come face to face with the Arab man.
He rounded the corner, coming closer to the memorial, and was very nearly in tears. He surprisingly found himself at the door of a mosque. He went in and found the Imam who listened to his story. He confessed to the Imam that it was one of his brothers who had become a terrorist and had hijacked one of the airplanes that crashed into the towers. Though some in his religion thought he should be proud of his brother’s ‘sacrifice’, in his heart, he felt only shame. The Imam led him in prayers and then walked him to the site where he could mourn the loss of his brother along with the men and women who perished in the towers. He then took the traveler back to the mosque and talked to him of living a life of radical peace and prepared to send him home.”
Jesus then asked the religious scholar, “Whose actions towards this stranger were the more God-like? Which man would you truly want as your neighbor?”
The scholar kicked at the dirt, not wanting to answer. He was more than a little offended. “The Muslim Imam,” he mumbled under his breath.
Jesus last words to him were, “Then maybe you should try living like him.”
Author’s note
The shock of Jesus’ story about the Samaritan might be lost on modern readers who now associate the label ‘Samaritan’ as someone who reaches out to help someone else—we name churches, hospitals and humanitarian ministries after the compassionate hero in Jesus’ parable. The twist comes from understanding that the mercy in this story was demonstrated by a person of a different ethnicity and religion who was considered very antagonistic towards the Jews. Jesus had even experienced animosity from the Samaritans when they wouldn’t let Jesus stay in one of their villages because he was on his way to Jerusalem to worship (Luke 9:51-56).
Yet despite the over 500 years of hostility between the Jews and the Samaritans (historical opposition), the different religious belief systems (what you believe), and location of temples (where and how you worship), Jesus chose to use a Samaritan in this story to make his point with this scholar—It is how you live your life that makes you a good neighbor, and that is how Jesus told us to define a person, as well as how he told us to live.
How does this play out in New York City near the 9/11 memorial? How does it play out in Boise, Idaho where I live? I don’t pretend to have those answers. But as I read Jesus’ story in context I’m somewhat shocked, offended, and humbled. I may need to rethink some things.
I hope you will share your thoughts as you read this story in the comments below.
TweetThe Co-build illustration was drawn for this re-told parable by David Hayward, the popular artist and cartoonist at Nakedpastor.com. You can buy a copy of this and other of his prints here.
Check out my other blog, Jesus or Squirrel. It’s a fun attempt at figuring out what should truly be credited to Jesus, Religion, Hype, Tradition, Superstition, Satan, Oral Roberts and his Friends, or The Squirrel.
Studio Casey
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