The Priest, Levite, and Samaritan

Saturday, July 10, 2010

The Priest, Levite, and Samaritan

Luke 10:25-37

And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

26And He said to him, "What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?"

27And he answered, "YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."

28And He said to him, "You have answered correctly; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE."

29But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

30Jesus replied and said, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead.

31"And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

32"Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

33"But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion,

34and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him.

35"On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.'

36"Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers' hands?"

37And he said, "The one who showed mercy toward him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do the same."

Many people today do not understand who a Samaritan was in relation to the Jewish people whom Christ was telling this parable to. Samaritans were despised by the Jewish people. You must understand this to help get the full impact of the reading. To understand this parable better, try substituting Samaritan for a group of people that we Catholics are not comfortable with today, such as gay person, democrat/republican, illegal Mexican immigrant, or radical Muslim cleric. This will help give you a better understanding of the parable and whom Jesus is trying to tell us is our neighbor. Christ's teachings should be as hard for us today, as they were for the people of His time. When we water them down, we miss the full shocking impact they had on the Jewish people of His time. The same people that would put Him to death for those teachings.

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Saturday, July 10, 2010