'And who is my neighbor?'

The Gospel lesson last Sunday was the parable of the Good Samaritan from Luke's account (Luke 10:25-37). As I listened to the reading and to the sermon that followed, I was struck by what we know about this parable and what we overlook. We all know the story of the man set upon by thieves who leave him for dead on the Jerusalem to Jericho road and how two men, highly regarded in society and religious life, pass him by. It was only the Samaritan, a member of an ethnic group despised and looked down upon by the good people of Israel and Judea, who went to the man, bound up his wounds, and arranged for his continuing care. So familiar is this story that we even call laws that protect people who try to help the afflicted "Good Samaritan Laws."

But is protecting those in need really what this parable is about? Jesus told this story in response to a question: "And who is my neighbor?" And at the end of the story, Jesus asked this question: "Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" Jesus was not so concerned with helping the poor victim of crime as he was with answering the question: "Who is my neighbor?" That a helpless crime victim was helped is a sidelight to the basic question of "Who is my neighbor?"

But this parable is not the "Who is my neighbor?" parable, it is the parable of the Good Samaritan, just as another of Jesus' stories is known as the parable of the Prodigal Son, even though the story is as much about the father and the other son as it is about the prodigal. In reply to Jesus' question at the end of his story, the original questioner says the person who was a neighbor to the crime victim was "the one who showed him mercy." Jesus responded, "Go and do likewise."

So who is my neighbor? It appears to be those in need of mercy, of medical care, of assistance, of money to cover the costs of the innkeeper's care. If that is the point off this parable, then the lesson is far more profound than the obvious point that high officials sometimes lack mercy and kindness.