The Good Samaritan

This is a parable from the Bible.

A lawyer once, to test Jesus, asked Him what he should do to inherit eternal life. Jesus told him “to love thy neighbour with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind.” The lawyer then asked who his neighbour was.

To this, Jesus answered, “A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. By chance a certain priest was going down that way. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Levite also, when he came to the place, and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he traveled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion, came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He set him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, and gave them to the host, and said to him, ‘Take care of him. Whatever you spend beyond that, I will repay you when I return.’ Now which of these three do you think seemed to be a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?” He said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Luke 10:30-37

Today at mass, the priest explained the meaning of this parable. And in doing so, told us what some of the researchers and scholars said with regard to the behaviour of the priest and the Levite. The priest, he explained, assumed that the poor man lying on the road was dead. In those times it was prohibited for priests to enter the Temple after having touched the dead. And so the priest walked away. The Levite was afraid that the man was pretending to be dead and might attack and rob him, and so he too avoided helping the man. It is the Samaritan, considered an outcast at that time, who finally helped the dying man.

It makes me wonder, how easily we make excuses for not looking out for our neighbours. We’re always too busy for them. We always have something better or more important to do. We think we’re too good for charity. That it is the job of social workers and NGOs to help the downtrodden. Just because we’re more fortunate than most, we’re too proud to lend a helping hand.

Don’t we see it all the time? An accident on the road will attract a huge crowd. But how many will try to help the injured? The fear of a police case is greater than the desire to help the needy. You think that there are so many people, somebody or the other will help him. Why should I?

Are we so selfish that we think only about our happiness and comfort and safety? Are we so blind that we look away when we see people who are socially and economically backward? Are we so deaf that we refuse to hear the cried for help and compassion?

And it isn't about the big things in life. Even the tiniest of gestures means a lot to someone who's craving for just a smile or a hug or a kind word. It could be a friend who needs a shoulder to cry on. You might not be able to solve the problems in their lives, but just being there is still a consolation. So let's not ignore those who need us but cannot say so. If there is any way we can bring a smile on their faces, let's do it without thinking what we will gain out of it. It'll pay off someday, when you need it and you cannot find a reason to be happy. So let’s not think, even for a moment, that we’re better than the rest. If God has been gracious enough to bless us with the good things in life, then we must learn to share.