THE WORD
Jon 1: 1–2:2.11 / Lk 10: 25–37
There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test him and said, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” He said in reply, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” He replied to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.”
But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn and cared for him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, ‘Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.’ Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
IN OTHER WORDS
As a Jew, the scholar of the law who approached Jesus definitely has a deep sense of communal love, concern for the poor and generosity, yet he has fallen short in terms of love because of his strong sense of nationalism and legalism. This is obvious when he asked: “And who is my neighbor?” To help him with his dilemma, Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan in the context of the command to love. Going beyond the limitations of the Law, he extended the “narrow” understanding of neighbor. He invited the scholar and his other listeners to go beyond the Judaistic meaning of love, extending it even to include the enemies, especially the despised Samaritans. Neighbor here is no longer defined by geography or proximity but by needs, as exemplified by the Good Samaritan who, unlike the priest and the Levite, overcame the barriers and showed compassion to the man who fell victim to the robbers. Then, when Jesus asked the scholar which of three, in his opinion, was a neighbor to the robbers’ victim, the scholar answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.” “Go and do likewise” was Jesus’ reply.
As a Divine Word Missionary, my present advocacy is to reach out to the abandoned old people and street children of Balay Samaritano and the Community Scout in Cebu. I believe these are, so to say, the “boys and girls, men and women who fell victim to robbers” today.
BE A GOOD SAMARITAN AND YOU WILL LIVE FOR ETERNITY!
- Jerome Cayetano, SVD (USC, Cebu City)
The Word in other words 2015
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
