Won't You Be My Neighbor?

Luke 10:30-37

Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.  Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.  So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.  But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.  He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.  And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.'  Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?"  He said, "The one who showed him mercy." And Jesus said to him, "You go, and do likewise."

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Interpreting parables is a notoriously difficult task. This parable in particular has been the victim of various allegorical interpretations over the course of church history which seek to find one-to-one correspondence for each and every character in the story. Such a method of interpretation requires far too much conjecture to be considered even close to the author's intent. Alternatively, there are four main principles for interpreting parables that should be employed, which I am here borrowing from Robert Stein's An Introduction to the Parables.

1. Seek the one main point of the parable.  Stein observes quite rightly that Jesus tended to reveal the main points of his parables in the opening and concluding remarks that frame the story. In this case, the story is framed by two questions (1) who is my neighbor? and (2) which of the three proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among robbers? So, it is fair to say that the main point of the parable is related to the nature of neighborly love.

2. Seek to understand the historical context in which the parable was uttered. Since Jesus' parables are filled with gritty tangible imagery that is rooted in first century Palestinian culture, it is imperative that we try to gain some insight into what these images might have meant to their original audience. In this parable, the Samaritan was not the benevolent person we think of today, but rather a fiercely hated religious minority. As evidenced in Jesus' encounter with the woman at the well in John 4, Jews normally had no dealings with Samaritans. By seeing this context, we can grasp the shocking aspect of this parable, which makes us question our fundamental assumptions about what God requires of us in relation to our neighbor.

3. Seek to understand how the Evangelist interpreted the parable. This is somewhat easier to discern when there are multiple versions of a parable recorded in the synoptic Gospels. In this case, we can still put this parable in the context of the Evangelist's broader themes. Stein points out that this parable fits at least two of Luke's overall themes: (1) the love of God toward the outcasts of society, and (2) the call for the generous use of our possessions. The good Samaritan is exemplary in showing love for his religious and ethnic enemy and for showing great generosity without any expectation of reciprocity. These themes are fundamental to the uniquely unconditional grace of God displayed in the life and death of Jesus.

4. Seek what God is saying to us today through the parable. The immediate application for us today must be to include even our enemies in the definition of "neighbor" and act lovingly at every opportunity. Who is the Samaritan for us today and how specifically can we love like he did? I will conclude the way Stein does in his chapter on the matter:

"For whom should we especially prove to be a neighbor? Is it our cranky next-door neighbor? Is it the starving child in a far off land whose name we do not know? Is it the person next door who just lost a job? Or is it...? Until the parable speaks to us on this level, we shall never know what it is teaching."