Sunday Homily, July 15, 2007, 15th of the Year
Readings: Deuteronomy 30, 10-14; Psalm 69; Colossians 1, 15-20; LUKE 10, 25-37, The Good Samaritan.
Deuteronomy: the scene is the desert outside the promised land. Moses is talking to the people about all that has happened to them since he led them out of Israel and through the desert for many years. Now, as they prepare to enter, and Moses is dying, he is simply exhorting them to love Yahweh and obey his laws.
Moses talks about a command, but never mentions exactly what it is. Watch for the answer in today’s gospel. The Great Command.
The Good Samaritan
I am going to do an explication of text today.
Initially this parable looks like simply an encouragement to help others. Actually there is a second meaning, perhaps much more profound, especially for the Jews who are listening. It has to do with prejudice.
The setting. A Jewish lawyer is asking a question about his justification. Where does one draw the line in helping a person. Who is my neighbor? Some observations.
First, the road from Jerusalem to Jericho was notoriously dangerous and plagued with thieves. That this man was alone is significant. People would travel in groups for safety. Was he an outcast? Friendless? Not too intelligent or innocent?
Second, the man was stripped. For the lawyer this would signify that the man was without identity, of no identifiable class. In other words, he might not be a lawyer or intellectual or even a Jew. He was Every Person. A human being.
The priest & the Levite. The lawyer would know why they did not stop to help. The Law. They could have been on the way to the temple and they could not cause themselves to be ritually impure. In the temple they had to be pure, no contact with dirty people orthey could not offer their sacrifice. Obviously organized religion still follows this practice.
Along comes a Samaritan. To the Jewish lawyer & the Jewish listeners Samaritans were considered demon possessed. Samaritans intermarried with pagans, i.e., people who did not recognize Yahweh as the name of their God. They would defile the temple just by entering. In sum, they were vile and dirty, certainly not capable of performing an act of love. 
But, to the surprise of the lawyer & the audience, it is the Samaritan who performs the act of love. He even risks his own life by rescuing the man. Jesus further twists the knife by showing how the Samaritan goes beyond the call by setting the man up in an inn and promising to cover all his expenses.
The composer of the parable goes further and plays with two elements used in the temple sacrifice: oil and water. He employs these elements to clean (purify?) the victim. The author knows what he is suggesting in using these items.
Jesus is responding to the lawyer’s question, "Who is my neighbor," by saying "Everybody." No prejudice.
Who is the number one neighbor you are taking care of today?
Audio: http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2007-07-15.mp3