This "lawyer" is looking for a way to "justify himself" likely because he feels he is not following the Torah and, probably believes it is important that most of the people he encounters are not following it as well. The definition of neighbor may look to him like a likely candidate for a "minimum threshold".
This looking for a minimum threshold is not surprising. The law normally functions in defining minimums below which the law is violated. The lawyer's answer comes from the Torah so Jesus confirms what he says is correct about the law. I believe, however, what Jesus is teaching the lawyer is that his question of how to obtain eternal life is beyond following the law.
What is striking about this passage is that the lawyer seems to have no problem with the possibility of loving God with all his heart, soul, strength and mind. Rather than using the Samaritan as simply an illustration of action to be emulated or imitated, it feels like Jesus' words teach that, with no limits, following the letter of the law to love your neighbor as yourself is impossible for humanity. Eternal life is beyond the law and beyond any of our actions which the law can govern.
The priest who followed the law because the beaten man may have been ritually unclean is one example of following the law when the demand is for humanity beyond the law. The other is the Levite We mostly live carefully, if we can, not to be as the Levite. Instead of seeing and passing the man going down to Jerusalem, however, we normally try to avoid traveling a dangerous road at all where such an encounter would happen.
When he is tested by the lawyer, Jesus is on the road journeying to Jerusalem. Jesus knows what will happen and is facing that challenge. He tells this story about a man going down from Jerusalem who fell into the hands of thieves. They stripped him, beat him and went away leaving him half dead. I suddenly see the strong parallels between Jesus, with visions of crucifixion, and the man who fell among thieves. When Jesus is inserted into the man who came down from Jerusalem in this story, instead of, perhaps the Samaritan the complexion of the parable changes. The identity and importance of this half-dead man seems hidden in the beginning of this parable.
I write possible meanings of this parable but what we, as humans, are to truly do and feel in our lives is normally incremental and elusive. Changing a few details can change our response immensely. Instead of the man falling among thieves what if the Samaritan merely encountered another traveler on the road and provided the same generosity? What if it was another Samaritan or if they had both been Jewish? Would that change how much of a neighbor one was to the other? What if a likely critical (and sensible) response from the community, perhaps the Samaritan's wife had been included in the story?
We can have powerful feelings when we see a figure with the attributes of a disenfranchised person today depicted in a statue with nail-scared hands or feet. And most of us feel some inclination to help the marginalized when we are directly confronted with their need. At the same time most of us, who have the means, live our lives on the "other side" of the road. We order our lives in such a way as to not be in danger, avoid places where we might have to react to someone who is beaten. How does this affect our eternal lives as "authentic" followers of Jesus?
Pastor Ray opened his sermon with a meme he had seen this week which read "My desire to remain well informed on political news is in direct conflict with my desire to remain sane." Today immigrant communities across the country braced for ICE raids that our president had announced earlier in the week. Matthew Albence, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, spoke saying "We are doing targeted enforcement actions against specific individuals who have had their day in immigration court and have been ordered removed by an immigration judge. We are merely executing those lawfully issued judges' orders".
I know many who cannot reconcile this American government action with loving your neighbor as yourself. Yet any possible judgement in this matter needs to be examined as well. It is by God's grace the Samaritan came near the man, to see him, and who moved the Samaritan's heart with pity. This may not always happen with every encounter. Being human we all eventually need to look for a minimum to fulfill the law for our own peace of mind and sanity. This is the way we live our lives. Jesus understands this within us even as he challenges us to keep expanding and evolving our idea of being a true neighbor.
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