Dear friends,
This week we have a very well known and much loved reading from Luke, the Good Samaritan. A story Jesus told when he was being quizzed about who our neighbour is. We hear it so often, it’s turned into a phrase. It’s a familiar story that children re-enact with gusto and I wonder if, over time, its message has been smoothed down or dulled in our minds. Its deeper layers overlooked or ignored?
I wondered if I had gotten too comfortable with it and had forgotten something Jesus was trying to say. We know that Jesus’ seemingly simple stories have deeper layers if you let it linger with you.
Pondering this, the layers re-emerged, and it hit me at how radical this parable actually is, and how relevant to today.
We forget how strong the historical hatred and mistrust was between the Israelites and the Samarians. Generationally deep. Regarding each other through a lens of being ungodly, in-pure and irredeemable. They would not yield or give quarter in any encounter, let alone mercy or compassion….and this parable challenges all of that.
It went further. It still does. It challenges us to recognise and respond to people’s sacred worth, be they friend or foe…especially foe. That being good, is not good enough. There is more. If our heart and soul does not respond to someone in need, then our heart and soul will not have what it takes to respond to God either. We must guard against our hearts hardening and becoming indifferent or closed off to the plight of others and remember to actively pray for those we don’t like, find frustrating, don’t agree with, mistrust, including those whose actions we are repulsed by or who illicit fear in us.
So, dear reader, Jesus shows us what radical love looks like. He prayed for and forgave his enemies, even when on the cross.
We will always fall short of course, but he will always help us when we remember to ask. He didn’t say it would be easy. But he did say he would be with us in our endeavour. Being good, is good, but it doesn’t go far enough in Jesus’ message. Radical generous love is where it’s at. He shows and blesses us with this every day; we just need to pass it on.
Love, Julia