In a parable culture it is less important to learn how to present your argument (rhetoric) and more important to learn how to ask the right question.
Sometimes I hear people talk about how stupid the people were who were talking to Jesus because they kept asking these dumb questions. They weren’t, though. I mean, they didn’t get a lot of things – just like we miss so much today. He was trying to infuse righteousness into their culture – a culture that claimed to have a corner marker on righteousness and was resistant to learning that they were missing the mark in many ways. Yet he was patient and waited for them to ask.
Yeshua was asked a question that was popular in his day. He was brought into the Great Theological Debate of His time. He was asked to weigh in on the Greatest Command.
His anger thrilled the Pharisees because it was consistent with their position.
Love the Lord your God will all your heart, mind, soul, and strength (resources). And the second is equal to it – Love your neighbor as yourself.
This was a great answer – they loved it! LOVE! That’s what it’s always been about. Even the modern day notes in the Chumash say that if you obey every command but fail to love your neighbor then it is as though you did none of the commands.
Then someone thought they would prompt a great teaching by asking another debated question, “But who is my neighbor?”
See, there was not much debate about love being the point of it all. There was, however, some different opinions about who you were obligated to extend that love to. Yeshua knew this and responded accordingly. He told the story of the Good Samaritan. (I will tell it here with some elaboration and license – if you want to read the exact account you can find it in Luke 10)
A man was traveling on a road and fell into the hands of robbers who stole all he had and beat him to within an inch of his life.
A priest came by and when he saw him he passed on the other side of the road. No doubt he was concerned about coming in contact with the man’s blood or, even worse, a dead body. He would be ceremonially unclean and unable to perform his duties and that would be bad for all of the people who relied on him.
A prominent Levite came by and when he saw him he passed on the other side of the road. Unclean blood, unclean dead body, and what would everyone think if they saw him with this man? Besides, what if the thieves were using him as bait and would jump out and rob him as well? One has to be careful these days!
Then a Samaritan came by. No one would expect anything of a Samaritan – they were only 1/2 children of Abraham and they were not really welcomed in town. But the Samaritan saw the man and immediately rushed to his side. He took him on his donkey and brought him to an inn in town, had the owner help him clean the man up, tended to his injuries, and left money to provide care for him as he finished his trip and until he could return to check on him.
The two people who should have been the most moved to compassion were prevented from showing it because of ceremonial and business concerns. They were worried about image, and safety. They were not sure if this was the type of man that one such as them should be helping in the first place.
The Samaritan, however, saw someone in need and was moved to compassion. There was no thought of, “What did he do to invite this?” Or, “If God allowed it then he must have deserved it.” He went to him, helped him, cared for him, provided what was needed.
And Yeshua asks, “Who was the neighbor to this man?”
That’s the key!
“Who is my neighbor?” is the wrong question. It will yield an answer of limited scope that allows you to help only those who look, think and act like you.
“Whose neighbor am I?” is the right question. It will yield a life of service as you become a neighbor to everyone who crosses your path. As God’s ambassador into this world of darkness, you will be a beacon of light.
I want to encourage my children to be neighbors and to treat people the way they would like to be treated. This is so important that John says if you say you love God but hate your neighbor, you are a liar and the love of God is not in you. Those are strong words. That’s a lot to think about.
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