Do This and You Shall Live
In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan. It's a story most of us have heard. A man is beaten and left for dead. Soon thereafter, a priest and a Levite happen by, both ignoring the man's plight; both were highly respected members of society. Then a Samaritan comes along, [Society would have judged him lower than a dog -- because he was Samaritan] not only helping the man, but going out of his way with time and generosity to make sure he has all he needs.
So, why does Jesus tell the story where a Samaritan is the 'good guy'?
Is this story solely about refuting prejudice? Or does Jesus have further motivation?
There's got to be more to the story...what do you think?
posted by simplewitness @ 7/10/2007 11:03:00 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
more to the story? Absolutely...not just refuting prejudice from the standpoint of the observer, but what if you are the person considered lower than a dog by others? Would that affect your decision to aid one of your tormentors in their time of need? Perhaps you might BE an injured person in dire need of help and the only one that is there to care for you is the person that you have looked down upon. Lots of lessons for lots of people. Jesus is so cool. He leaves no one out of the circle of learning. Hi Lynn!
This theme recurs in several places throughout Jesus' teachings.
One of my favorites is the story of the men praying in the temple. One a Pharisee, one a tax collector. In our day, we're a bit prejudiced against the Pharisees. But at the time, those listening would know the Pharisee is the "good guy". And the tax collector would be the "bad guy." More than likely, the tax collector would be a Jew working for the Roman occupiers. He'd have a quota of taxes to collect, but would be free to collect whatever he could. The excess is his to keep. So not only is a tax collector a traitor, but an extortioner as well.
But the Pharisee prayed, basically saying "look how good I am" while the tax collector prayed "have mercy on me, a sinner." Jesus then tells us the Pharisee went home without ever touching God, and the tax collector went home forgiven.
To me, both of these stories talk about what we do versus what we say, or what we believe. Faith in God is evidenced by our actions. The Priest and Levite couldn't be bothered to actually do anything to help the injured man. But the Samaritan took action. In the prayers, the Pharisee just talked a lot, without doing anything. But the tax collector met God. He reached out to the Almighty, and our loving God reached back with forgiveness in His hand.
Being a Christian isn't so much in what we believe (although beliefs are certainly important!) It is in how those beliefs affect what we do. Do you say you're a Christian? Or you do live a Christian?
I don't always accomplish that. But this has been a good reminder to refresh my efforts to make my life match my beliefs.
--Peter
You got it..."faith without works is dead."
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