How the Good Samaritan Helps Us Love Those We Disagree With
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It seems like everywhere we look, there are deep divisions based on political beliefs, perceived offenses, actual offenses and personal opinion. The flames of these divisions have been stoked almost daily by the news and social media feeds, so much so that it might seem impossible to heal the hatred and anger that has been created. But I have not lost hope!
We the Church are the answer! And it is our assignment in this hour to shed biblical truth on the current dark evil of division and prejudice. Truth be told, the Church has a rather weak history in this area. In fact, Sunday morning is sometimes called the most segregated hour of the week in our society. I believe this grieves the heart of God, who made all people, of all races, cultures, and ethnicities. Jesus simply loves the people of the world.
“After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9).
Hate and prejudice toward any group of people is motivated by the master manipulator – Satan himself. But God is still on the throne, and if we look to Him, no division is impossible to reconcile. Indeed, we are called to a ministry of reconciliation, aren't we? (2 Corinthians 5:11-21). In the Scripture, the parable of the Good Samaritan provides three clear steps we can follow to help us to be a beacon of truth in this critical conversation of our time.
“’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. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 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.’ Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers? The expert in the law replied, ‘The one who had mercy on him.’ Jesus told him, ‘Go and do likewise’” (Luke 10:30-37).
1. We Must See People as "Faceless" (Luke 10:30)
That is, they must be human beings, first, before any group identifier. Jesus does not want us to see people as black people, or white people, or brown people, or rich people, or poor people, or Christian people or Muslim people, or Democratic people or Republican people. He wants us first and foremost to see everyone as a person made in the image and likeness of Almighty God.
And in the parable, the first thing Jesus mentions is that the man has been beaten and stripped of his clothing, his identity, and he is simply a faceless figure whose occupation, nationality, religion and race are not given to the listeners.
If the priest or the Levite had been able to tell if the wounded man was a Jew, maybe they would have stopped. But Jesus makes it clear that neither his clothing, nor his accent could be used to prejudge what kind of person he was. When you see the actual person instead of the preconceived notion or stereotype of the person's social group, then hate can be healed. And with so many group identifiers that are out there these days that divide us, we absolutely must see people as faceless human beings, first and foremost!
2. We Must Make Helping Others Our Highest Priority, Even at Personal Sacrifice
The road from Jerusalem to Jericho was a very well-known road to Jesus' listeners. It was about 17 miles long and descended 3300 feet. It was such a steep, rocky and narrow road, that it had become a great spot for robbers and thieves to ambush passers-by. In fact, it is still known today as the way of blood!
Only a fool would travel that road alone, but that's exactly what happened here. The man got mugged, stripped and left for dead. To the crowd, it would seem like the man should have known better, so it was his fault he became a victim. They likely felt the priest and Levite were justified to pass by him.
It's easy to focus on apparent fault in other people. But if you play the blame game and point fingers, hate will never be healed. It’s just going to be fueled.
Scripture teaches that we, as children of God, ought to be willing to suffer wrong and accept it (Matthew 5:38-40), so that peace and healing can take place. We must sometimes give up our right to be right, and instead accept wrong for the sake of healing and reconciliation.
Instead, our focus must be on cultivating a heart attitude that says, how can I help you? Helping people often requires great personal sacrifice, but empathy, compassion, and real action is highly effective in healing divisions between people.
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Now, there are reasons why in Jesus’ story the priest and the Levite don’t stop to help, mainly they couldn't risk touching a dead body. If they did, they would become ceremonially unclean and be forbidden under the Law to serve in the Temple. The ritual cleansing that it would take for a priest to be reinstated to his duties would take a full week, and a lot of money. He would have to find, buy and reduce a red heifer cow into ashes.
It would also take some humiliation. The priest would have to stand with the sinners outside the Eastern Gate for purification rituals. He would have to become one of the regular people! And then there is the issue of... what if he really needs help, that’s an inconvenience, that’s an interruption in the schedule, that’s going to cost a lot of money to care for a complete stranger. The priest and Levite didn’t want to take that chance; it was just too great a sacrifice.
“But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 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’” (Luke 10:33-35).
This Samaritan was willing to sacrifice his safety, his time, his reputation and his money. Why?
That’s what it takes to heal hate. That’s what we are called to as followers of Christ. It takes people who are willing to sacrifice. It takes being selfless and putting others first. But this kind of healing requires a sacrifice from all of us. Anger and mistrust won’t be healed with stubbornness, but it can be healed through sacrifice.
3. We Must Learn to Empathize with Others
Even though the parable makes it clear that the man is "faceless" and cannot be identified, he was travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho, which means it is likely that he was Jewish. What makes this so clever is that traditionally, Jews hated the Samaritans. Jesus made it clear that the one who was in need of help, received it from one he hated most.
Jews thought Samaritans were half-breeds of people. They went through great lengths to avoid contact with them. They refused to have any dealing with them. But ironically, in the story the man who hates received help from the man whom he hates!
When you’re in need, you will take it any way you can get it. If you’re bleeding, you don’t care what the doctor’s race, religion, morality, or political views are. If you’re bleeding, all you care about is can this person stop the bleeding? And so you’ll take help from a black doctor, a white doctor, an Asian doctor, a doctor from Timbuktu, and even an atheist doctor! When you’re bleeding, you just want someone to reach out and be kind. You don’t care about the color of their skin, religious beliefs or political affiliation. You just want help. And all of Jesus' listeners, including the lawyer, understood that.
Jesus was saying to the crowd Can you empathize with this wounded man? What if it were you? How would you want to be treated? What would you want from someone else – anyone else? His point was profound and yet simple: if we are going to heal hate and division, we must be able to empathize.
We empathize with others by learning more, and perhaps walking a minute in their shoes. We empathize by thinking compassionately – what if that was me?
Ultimately, we must seek to understand how Christ loved us and healed us when we were His enemies. If we can receive that love in the fullness of what it means, we will be able to pass it on to our neighbor and heal the hate that rages in our world.
Related articles
7 Traits of a Gospel-Centered Good Samaritan
5 Biblical Ways to Love Those You Disagree With
The Samaritans: Hope from the History of a Hated People
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