Living in the Image of God M02S03
The parable of the Good Samaritan provides an example of a call to compassion and explains that such a call presents opportunity to recognize a neighbor and demonstrate love of neighbor: care about the neighbor in need, commit to providing goods or service to address the need, and persevere in seeking to alleviate the need. God uses such interactions to direct human service to points of need and fulfill his purpose for provider-receiver relationships among people.
The parable of the Good Samaritan explains potential human behavior in a call to compassion. Potential response to such a call could consist of outright refusal, thus declining the responsibilities; or accepting the call and completing the responsibilities. Furthermore, the parable uses the events of a call to compassion to define love, neighbor, and “love your neighbor” in the context of recognizing another person’s need and accepting and completing responsibility to alleviate the need. Also, the parable defines need and needy in relation to a call to compassion.
We discuss the parable of the Good Samaritan and the explanations of human behavior provided in the parable to further understand what God expects from a person he calls to provide goods or service to alleviate the need of another.
Need and Needy
The parable begins with a man that was beaten by robbers on a lonely road, stripped of his clothes, and left half dead [Luke 10:30]: “In reply Jesus said: ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.’” Through the example, the parable illustrates the meaning and nature of “need” in a call to compassion. A need can be simple or complex. For example, a person thirsty for a drink and unable to satisfy the thirst by himself or herself presents an example of a simple need. In contrast, the condition of the robber victim presents an example of a complex need.
Also, the parable illustrates the meaning of “needy.” A needy is a person in need of goods or service to be provided by external intervention. An external intervention is necessary to alleviate the need, because the circumstances do not present opportunity for the person to help himself or herself. For example, the robber victim could not have helped himself from his current state. The necessity for an external intervention to provide for a need establishes a “needy.” However, notice that a person’s status as rich or poor, tall or short, or other such status is irrelevant in establishing the person as a needy. It is only necessary that the person has a need that requires external intervention to alleviate the need.
Also, the occurrence of a need with necessity for external intervention provides an indication for recognizing a call to compassion. You could be receiving a call to compassion if God directs your attention to a person in need of goods or service with the necessity for external intervention to alleviate the need.
Freedom in Response
A person has freedom of choice in a call to compassion and can choose to decline the call or accept and complete the responsibilities. For example, a priest encountered the robber victim but looked the other way: “A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side” [Luke 10:31]. Like the priest, a Levite also declined: “So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side” [Luke 10:32].
In contrast, a Samaritan recognized the need, cared about the needy, committed to doing what he could, and began to alleviate the need.
Accepting Call to Compassion
The Samaritan recognized the need and cared about the needy: “But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him” [Luke 10:33]. The information that “…when he saw him, he took pity on him” conveys a message that the Samaritan recognized the need and cared about the needy. He immediately began to do what he could to alleviate the need. First, he provided first aid: “He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine” [Luke 10:34]. Next, he transported the man to an inn, where he cared for him overnight: “Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him” [Luke 10:34].
Furthermore, he took full responsibility for the man’s care by paying and promising to return with additional payment [Luke 10:35]: “The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’” The Samaritan showed commitment and perseverance through his actions.
Neighbor
The parable defines neighbor as a person that accepts and completes responsibilities in a call to compassion. A person that accepts and completes responsibilities in a call to compassion is a neighbor to the beneficiary of the call. To explain the relationship, Christ asked [Luke 10:36]: “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” A member of the audience, the “expert in the law,” replied: “The one who had mercy on him” [Luke 10:37]. Then Jesus said: “Go and do likewise” [Luke 10:37].
The recipient of a call to compassion and the needy in the call are connected in a provider-receiver relationship. As we discuss in a previous study (Understanding Compassion), God uses networks of human interactions to direct human service to points of need. He establishes provider-receiver relationships among people in a network, thus defining responsibility for the provider and responsibility for the receiver. The provider responsibility is to recognize the need, care about the needy, commit to providing goods or service to address the need, and persevere in seeking to alleviate the need. The receiver responsibility is to receive the provided goods or service with appreciation. A person establishes himself or herself as neighbor to the needy by accepting and completing the provider responsibility.
For example, the Good Samaritan established himself as a neighbor to the robber victim. In contrast, the priest and Levite each received an offer to be a neighbor to the robber victim but declined the offer.
Love of Neighbor
The act of compassion by the provider is a manifestation of love for the needy neighbor. Thus, a call to compassion provides opportunity to “love your neighbor as yourself”.
Recall that Christ told the parable of the Good Samaritan to explain “love your neighbor as yourself.” A teacher of the law had asked Jesus [Luke 10:25]: “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” To answer, Jesus asked the teacher [Luke 10:26]: “What is written in the Law…How do you read it?” The teacher responded: “‘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, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” [Luke 10:27]. When Jesus told him to “Do this and you will live” [Luke 10:28], the teacher asked for clarification of “who is my neighbor” and Jesus responded with the parable.
A call to compassion provides opportunity to recognize the needy as your neighbor and demonstrate love for the neighbor: care about the neighbor in need, commit to providing goods or service to address the need, and persevere in seeking to alleviate the need.
Summary of What We Learned
The parable of the Good Samaritan provides an example of a call to compassion and explains that such a call presents opportunity to recognize a neighbor and demonstrate love of neighbor: care about the neighbor in need, commit to providing goods or service to address the need, and persevere in seeking to alleviate the need.
God uses such interactions to direct human service to points of need and fulfill his purpose for provider-receiver relationships among people.