Pastor’s Corner – July 13, 2025
Who is My Neighbor? – Luke 10:25-37
The one who showed compassion! Jesus said. We come to the story of the Good Samaritan this Sunday. We miss the point of the story if we don’t fully appreciate who the Samaritan was at the time of Christ. You see, there is nothing “Good” about Samaritans, who were looked down upon. They were the Palestinians of today, dehumanized and expendable. So to appreciate the “shock” effect of the story, let’s retell the story by substituting the Samaritans with Palestinians. The expert of the law or Torah who answered Jesus’ question with the commandment to love God and neighbor, asked who his neighbors were so that he may love them. The answer he got from Jesus in the narrative stricture was unsettling. The lawyer is not the agent of compassion, but becomes the recipient from someone he least expected. To this end let us hear anew the story come Sunday morning with greater understanding of God’s Kin-dom and compassion for our world.
So, the story of a Samaritan who becomes the protagonist and agent of compassion reminds us that relationships are a two-way street. One cannot unilaterally impose one’s will upon someone else and have an authentic relationship that is meaningful. Sometimes we are like the person lying on the street beaten, robbed and in need of help. And the people we expect to help are not there, but surprisingly there are those who show up among the least expected. We see this happening in our world, an example with recent tragedy in the Hill Country with devastating loss of lives swept away by flash flooding in Guadalupe River. Mexico sent their firefighters and search and rescue teams, doing the neighborly thing, however mistreated by our government. Being kind and humane toward one another with humility brings hope and peace. I believe that’s the lesson from the “Good Samaritan” story.
Let us worship God and offer prayers for those who are grieving and pray for peace and compassion in our world that needs healing. In solidarity with those who are suffering we remember Christ in breaking the bread and drinking the cup of salvation. Amen.
Pastor Dae