I have not written for a few days. It is because I need to spend more time reading. I feel very dry and have nothing to offer. Therefore, from now on, I will write once a week. What use is it just knowing the truth? Act on the truth.
Today, we read the famous story of the Good Samaritan. Jesus told this parable in response to the challenge of a Teacher of the Law. The scholar knew the law very well. Yet, he failed to see in the proper perspective and act accordingly. Here is the challenge he posed to Jesus.
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" (Luke 10:25)
I have always thought that "eternal life" is a New Testament concept. I have been wrong. The idea of "eternal life" appears once in Daniel.
And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt (Daniel 12:2).
everlasting life חַיֵּי עוֹלָם
ζωὴν αἰώνιον (Daniel 12:2, Luke 10:25)
Therefore, Luke did not put words into the mouth of a scholar of the Old Testament. The scholar's challenge was a legitimate one.
Unlike the story in Mark, the Jesus in Luke did not give the answer directly. Instead, he asked the scholar what the Law talks about. Here, we come to the famous quotation from Deuteronomy and Leviticus.
And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." (Luke 10:27, Deuteronomy 6:5, Leviticus 19:18b).
"with all your mind" is an addition in the Greek era.
Jesus' answer was very straight forward and truth is embedded in the simplicity.
And he said to him, "You have answered right; do this, and you will live." (Luke 10:28)
Knowing does not bring us eternal life. Doing does.
The story would have ended here. But how could Luke, a good story teller, let this golden opportunity go? He continues to explore the psychological blind spot of the scholar. What prevented the scholar from doing the right thing? The scholar got the perspective wrong.
But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" (Luke 10:29)
Then Jesus told the well-known parable of the Good Samaritan. In the end, Jesus asked the crucial question to bring the scholar back to the proper perspective.
Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers? (Luke 10:36)
"Who is my neighbour?" is ego-centric. The focus is no us and not on the needy. That is why the perspective is wrong. "Who is the neighbour to the victim?" is altruistic, is other-centered. This is the proper perspective.
Before I leave, I would like to explore a bit to speculate why the priest and the Levite did not lend a helping hand.
One of the more popular explanations is that the priest and the Levite cared more about their priestly duties than the needs of the victim. They did not want to become unclean by touching the bleeding man, thus making them unable to perform their priestly duties for a certain period of time. I find this explanation unsatisfactory.
Firstly, all of them were leaving Jerusalem. They were going down the road, from Jerusalem to Jericho. Therefore, it was unlikely that the priest and the Levite were on their way to perform religious duties. Still, it does not rule out the possibility.
Secondly, priests and Levites had to handle sacrifices. They were responsible for butchering the sacrificial lambs, cutting them up and removing the fat etc. Who else in the Temple should do this, if not the priests and the Levites? Moreover, priests had to examine lepers to determine their illness and pronounced them unclean. To a certain extent, priests always got in touch with uncleanliness. They should enjoy some degree of immunity. Therefore, it is unthinkable that they should refrain from touching and helping a bleeding man, leaving him to die helplessly alone.
More likely, the road was infested with robbers. They saw the bleeding man and perhaps it was a trap. They did not want to fall victim to robbers and left the scene as soon as possible. Of course, nobody can tell. It is pure speculation. The truth is we should lend a helping hand whenever the situation demands.
Dear Lord, help us to go out of ourselves and generously love our neighbour. Let us love You more. Amen.
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