As Luke brings us to Jesus’ instruction on prayer, and his giving of what is usually called “The Lord’s Prayer” or the “Our Father” (which we’ll be hearing this weekend), we’re given two snapshots of what it looks like to be a disciple of Christ (Luke 10:25-37). The Good Samaritan is perhaps the most famous story of the Gospels, where Jesus challenges an expert in the Jewish “law” who wants to justify his own worthiness and interpretation of the Torah. He knows – rightly – that eternal life is found in and through loving God and loving neighbor. He asks – hoping to validate himself – “And who is my neighbor?” In other words: “Who do I have to love to have my ticket to eternal life?”
On one level, Jesus’ response is to tell a story that confronts his prejudices of who is deserving of neighbor love. Instead of defining who is and isn’t this lawyer’s neighbor, he asks who in the story acts like a neighbor. He says to the lawyer, “You’re asking the wrong question. The right question is this: are you going to be a good neighbor?” Will you be merciful to others? Are you the sort of person who gives mercy to those you deem “undeserving”? Do you look for loopholes to get out of the cost of discipleship and the difficult duty of love? Jerome, the 4th century teacher and bible translator, put it like this as he comments on this story: “We are neighbors, all people to all people, for we have one Father.”
But there’s another level to this story, seen if we understand the Samaritan as a figure of Christ himself. The Levites and priests of Jesus’ day were failing to attend to Israel, a dying people. Jesus comes to his people, finding them dead, and like the Samaritan has compassion. He bandages them up, and pours on olive oil and wine – rich Biblical symbols of forgiveness, purpose, belonging, life, joy and feasting. In short, he brings mercy to the dead. The curious final character that appears at the end, and is often forgotten, is the innkeeper. The Samaritan entrusts the man he rescues to another for a time. Jesus entrusts those he saves to his church, where we mercifully care for one another and for the dying men and women on our highways, proving ourselves to be neighbors like Jesus. All of our love as Christians flows from the love Jesus has given us, and his mercy compels our mercy.
Leading up to Jesus’ instruction on how to continually return to our father to receive his merciful gifts, we’re given a short story that sharpens focus on the source of this life and mercy. Jesus visits the house of Martha and Mary, where Martha hurries around preparing the meal and providing typical hospitality, while Mary sits and listens to Jesus’ teaching to receive the life found only in him and in his words. Martha gets stressed and resentful about being “the only one who ever does anything around here!”, and Jesus gently reminds Martha that Mary has her priorities straight and is putting first things first. Lest we lose focus on what is primary, and define the Christian life as simply rushing about doing “good Samaritan neighbor things”, Luke pumps the brakes and shows us the one necessary thing that underlies all the many good things God calls us to. We begin by receiving, and the Christian life is first about worship – hearing and communing with the Lord, seeking Our Father. This is the essence of prayer, and any disciple of Jesus will need to learn how to pray.
Scott Limkeman
