Gospel
There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus 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.”
Reflection
What struck me most about the Samaritan in Jesus' parable was not just that he was the only one to stop and help the injured man, but the extent to which he helped him. It wasn’t a simple gesture, he didn't just bandage the man’s wounds or offer a bit of money and leave him at the inn. Most people would have deemed it enough to just get him on his feet, give him some coin and point him in the direction of an innkeeper but he went above and beyond. He "poured oil and wine over his wounds," "lifted him up on his own animal," and cared for him personally. When he had to leave, he gave the innkeeper two silver coins and promised to cover any extra expenses upon his return. All of this for a mere stranger, and yet does this not answer the scholar's original question, “And who is my neighbor?”. This went beyond basic kindness; it shows a different level of true mercy and generosity, I think one that Jesus wanted the scholar and all of us to strive for.
It made me reflect on how often we miss opportunities to help in our own day to day lives because it might inconvenience us. How many excuses do we make to avoid going out of our way for others? In today’s world, it can be easy to justify inaction, but the Samaritan’s example challenges us to ask: how far are we willing to go for our neighbors?
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