Here, at the beginning of our Nativity Fast we’re entrusted with the opportunity to renew and deepen our life in Christ, to grow in our love of God and neighbor, to strengthen our commitment to living out the Gospel—to “go and do likewise.”
Today, we’re given the Parable of the Good Samaritan, which is thrust in our faces just as we begin the Fast so that we may enter this holy season armed with the Gospel and ready to put it into effect so we can arrive at the Feast of the Nativity that much stronger in our faith as we celebrate Christ our Savior’s holy nativity.
Christ gives us this parable of the Good (or “Merciful”) Samaritan in response to a question put to Him as a test: A lawyer says, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Now, if you think of it, putting Christ to the test is not all that usual. People put Him to the test all the time, asking questions like, “Why do I have it so tough? Why do I pray and (so it seems to me) nothing happens? Why do I even need to pray? Why do I not get what I want, what I asked for? Why does that person seem to have it so much ‘easier’ than I do?”
But all such questions are, in reality, also an ‘opportunity’: if we recognize what’s behind such questions, to make them into a cry for help from God: an admittance of lack of faith is a cry for more faith; a recognition of pride, lack of trust, ego-centricism on our part, can become a prayer for increased focus on Christ and humility; we can pray more for others and take our focus off ourselves and the problems that we often create for ourselves by turning inward instead of to our Lord, the only One who can really help us, heal us, save us.
In the case of the lawyer, Jesus aids him in seeing his own pridefulness, his greatest impediment to faith in Christ; He helps him gain humility by asking him a question in return: “what’s written in the Law?” The lawyer answers with Leviticus 19:18, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus affirms his answer, but the prideful lawyer’s still not satisfied. Still hoping to stump Jesus, he asks Him yet another question: “And who is my neighbor?”
The parable of the Good Samaritan is Christ’s final response. But Jesus turns the lawyer’s question on its head: instead of answering the question, “who is my neighbor?” Jesus shows the lawyer what it means to be a godly neighbor, and, he calls on all of us to do likewise.
Jesus teaches us throughout the Gospels to prioritize those people we meet who are in need, both physically and spiritually. In fact, the two are inseparable in the Gospels. Now, this is not some ‘social gospel’ that Christ is teaching, which generally ministers exclusively to the physical and temporal aspects of need. We, at Holy Archangels, understand the physical needs of others this holy season, which is why we’ve started our non-perishable food drive. But, the priority with Christ is always on a person’s immortal soul, on their finding life in Him, repentance from their sins, which, if left unrepented of, would keep them from being able to be in His holy presence and find healing and glory for their souls, to be with Him in paradise forever.
An African proverb says, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” This is instructive, but we can put an Orthodox twist on it that strengthens it further: feed a man for a day and you aid his temporal body; bring a man to Christ and His holy Church and you feed his soul for eternity. In other words, bring a person to the Church and Christ and you give him the tools he needs to address his greatest needs, including physical needs as the two are intricately connected. Bring such a man to the Church and Christ feeds his soul while also providing him with a family to love and help care for him, challenge him and encourage him, love him—body and soul, coming to know Him who is Eternal Life.
The fact is though that someone lying on the side of the road, beaten and bloody cannot escape our notice, but the spiritual needs of those ‘storm-tossed’ by our culture, ravaged by the ‘thieves’ of the truth: secularism and nihilism, and all godlessness, is something so ubiquitous, we can easily find ourselves numb to their need and suffering. We can easily find ourselves just like that priest and Levite, who pass by indifferent to the needs of the dying souls around us.
The goodness of the Samaritan can be summed up in one word, “mercy.” In fact, this is how he is known in Orthodox languages, i.e., “the merciful Samaritan.” He showed mercy on the man who fell among robbers. Mercy and love are very closely related. Mercy and love, when they’ve taken root in us through Christ, produce compassion and overcome indifference.
Some of the Fathers interpret the Good Samaritan to be a figure of Christ Himself: the bandages, oil and wine are sacramental images for the clothing of the neophyte at Baptism in a garment of white, signifying new birth, which heals us of the wounds of sin, the oil of Chrismation, gives us new life going forward in the Holy Spirit by whom we are sealed, the wine, which is the communion of the divine Blood of Christ, deifies us and leads us to eternal life with Christ God.
St. John Chrysostom says of this Parable, “Let us make our mercifulness abundant, let us give proof of much love to man, both by the use of our money, and by our actions.” During the Fast, we focus more on giving alms, giving to the Church, and serving with our gifts because it’s an opportunity to grow in mercy and compassion, to grow in communion with the Holy Trinity, to gain increased Christ-likeness. But it’s easier to give to a cause we believe in. When we see Christ tangibly ministering to our needs or those of others, we naturally want to support and further that work. This is why we tithe to support our church because we all benefit from it; this is why today is our annual commitment Sunday. But St. John urges us to go beyond what is easy, saying, “Go then, and put a stop to the evil; pull out those who are drowning, though you descend into the very depth of the surge…” (St. John Chrysostom, Homily XV on Matthew 5:14).
Now here’s a challenge to us: do we love enough to address with the love and truth of Christ the evil we see harming those around us? Are we willing to stand for the truth in this age, to go that extra mile to address the core issues in our own life, so we too can become an inspiration, an example, and a vehicle through which God can work in the lives of those around us?
We don’t have to be already healed to minister to others; we do need, however, to be healing, repenting. In other words, we need to take our own spiritual medicine to have credibility with others whom we urge to do the same. When we come outside our self-focus, our own struggles to love and witness to those around us, when we speak the Truth to those who need to hear it by authentically of our own struggles to live that Truth, then we’re assured that God will supply in us what’s lacking; He’ll use such opportunities to work in us and through us to His glory.
Having concluded His parable, Jesus asks the lawyer, “which of these was a neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” And the lawyer responds, “he who showed mercy.” Christ says, “Go and do the same.” Pray to God for such opportunities to be used; pray for eyes of mercy. Put into action what you’ve committed to in your pledge of your time, talent, and treasure. Do as St. John says and pull out those who are drowning around you, “though you descend into the very depth of the surge….” He who is Himself the Good Samaritan, Christ and calls on us to be the same, Christ our true God, will give us whatever we need to love, to serve, to give, and will in turn, bless us, grow us, and save us! This is the promise of the Fast.
Fr. Robert Miclean
Holy Archangels Orthodox Church
16 November 2014
Parable of the Good Samaritan 3
Epistle: Gal. 1:11-19
Gospel: Luke 10:25-37
