Which of these three, in your opinion,
was neighbor to the man who fell in with the robbers?
The answer came,
“The one who treated him with compassion.”
Jesus said to him, “Then go and do the same.”

The Good Samaritan

In today’s Gospel, we hear one of the best known parables of Jesus. It seems that even non-Christians are aware of this parable and the message it has for the followers of Jesus. The theme of the parable is discipleship, which is supposed to be one of the hallmarks of Christianity. It highlights very succinctly what should be, in Jesus’ estimation, the conduct of a real disciple – the behavior of a follower. It is the conduct of the wise and the prudent (not just of those learned in the Law) and of the little ones.

While this parable appears in all three of the Synoptic Gospels, the spokesman is different in each version. He is a Pharisee in Matthew’s Gospel, a Scribe in Mark’s Gospel and a Lawyer in Luke’s Gospel. In Mark and Matthew the spokesman inquires about the great commandment in the Law. In Luke, where the Gentile-Christian audience is not overly concerned about the Law, the spokesman asks about eternal life. Because Luke changed the opening setting, Jesus’ answer makes little sense. It has to be understood in the background of the Marcan context.

The Lawyer would have the neighbor of the commandment further defined so that he would be sure of eternal life.

Jesus’ answer in the parable involves an extreme example: He compares the failure of a representative of the religious leaders (Pharisee) and an assistant in the Temple (Levite) with the unselfishness of the hated Samaritan. By doing this Jesus highlights the unlimited nature of the duty of love. In the course of the parable, he (Samaritan) who possesses the secret of eternal life turns out to be this stranger without the lawyer’s learning and concern for security and with without the dignity and status of the priestly and Levitical condition. His love was spontaneous and did not have to inquire into the Law; it was disinterested, kindly, personal and effective. It was truly compassionate.

Compassion is defined as: feeling for another’s sorrow or hardship that leads to help; and being Compassionate means: desiring to relieve another’s suffering and sympathetic to the pain of others. We are called, as followers of Jesus, to become compassionate people, showing the same compassion to others that we know that God shows to all humans and us. This is one of the basic challenges of Christianity.

Let us truly become compassionate people