Are you a Samaritan?

“How do you read what is in the law?” That is my own paraphrase. Indeed, how do we read what we read? Not everyone gets the same thing out of reading the same thing – even though the words are all there before us in black and white. They are the same for us as they are for others – exactly the same. So why don't we get the same thing?

This parable comes to us from Luke 10:26-37. Some of us read from strength; some of us read from weakness. Some of us read from freedom while others read through bars and chains. We get different things, not because the law, or the words are different, but because we are different.

So, we sit in conversation, and compare our different takes on what we think we know. Sometimes a consensus affords a greater understanding to all involved. At other times, one knows more, and teaches the rest of us. Christ was the teacher in this parable. He taught the lawyer what we may only suppose the lawyer should have already known.

The lawyer merely recites the law as it was given. No lawyer was required for that, as any one who attended the Sabbath readings was bound to remember the words. Like so many of us in our age, the lawyer presumed the meaning automatically came with the words. He said, “Love God with all your heart, soul, strength, mind. Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Most of us have little inclination to struggle past the face value, whereas meaning is actually hard won. It is earned through work. But, who really works at definition? We don't ever trouble ourselves with that, because it is in a dictionary somewhere. The sad thing is, we go on using our words as 'meaning-included', yet, we haven't ever consulted the dictionary.

So Jesus tells him, “This do, and thou shalt live.” Exactly here is where one of two things must occur. Either there must be an exchange leading to a consensus, or one must teach while the others learn. It is at this point where the work of definition and meaning must commence.

The original question was “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” So Jesus answered, 'do the law and you will live.' But here's the ticker – the lawyer wasn't asking for information he, or any other, had missed in the Sabbath readings, he was trying to be clever. He was tempting Jesus.

The lawyer recited words as 'meaning-included', but it was Christ who offered definition. This story is recorded for the ages. It remains before us in black and white, but it is only a door that may be opened by those willing to work for it. This is the point where we are given such a privilege.

This yoke is easy, and this burden is light, for we only have to look up the meaning that Christ gave us. We find it in John 17:3, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”

We have the meaning of life before us in black and white. The lawyer, continuing his ruse, dismissed the opportunity we just availed ourselves of. He was not truly interested in meaning. He asked, “Who is my neighbor?”

So Christ begins the parable of the good Samaritan. As we know, a parable will achieve two simultaneous results. It will offer meaning and definition to those willing to work for it, and it will deny meaning and definition to those who dismiss the opportunity.

The elements of the parable are these: A man robbed, wounded, and left for dead.

A man ignored and shunned by the privileged. A man helped by a commoner, a working man, a man held in low esteem – a Samaritan.

At the end of the parable, Christ asked the lawyer, 'Who was the neighbor?' Now the lawyer was only there to trip Jesus in a flurry of legalisms, but his word games backfired. It was the lawyer who got tripped. He answered, 'The one that showed mercy.'

Lesson learned. Here is the spiritual approach to truth, definition, and meaning. While we are concerned with who our neighbor is, Christ teaches us to 'Go and be the neighbor.'

Judgment

An excerpt from my ongoing study in "Meaning"

In this next parable, Christ presents 'a creditor with two debtors'. It is found in Luke 7:41-43. In this parable, Christ touches upon our responsibility as children of God. To be like God, which is to be like the son of God, one must employ the same mind set, the same nature, the same predilection of character.

Is this a parable about forgiveness? In a way, yes it is – but that is really too simple for such a parable. Everyone already practiced a form of forgiveness: it was a matter of Jewish law. Even when it was shallow and meaningless, it was still a matter of legal implementation.

Had this parable been about forgiveness, one debtor would have sufficed to tell the story. The forgiveness, as we see plainly in the text, was a given: “frankly forgave them both”. We see in the choice of wording (frankly, which means honestly or candidly) that this particular act was the genuine article rather than mere practice.

Both debtors received an equal forgiveness, even though their debts, 500 as opposed to 50 pence, was anything but equal. In consideration of the amounts, we note two facts: pence was not that big of a deal to the creditor, that was the basic unit, and the word from which we get our modern 'penny'. At the same time, if one could not pay 50 cents and the other could not pay 5 dollars, admittedly, they were poorer than dirt.

Simon was asked to determine one and only one salient point: of the two forgiven debtors, “which will love him (the forgiving creditor) most”? This is the same point that all of us must also determine. It is a simple test, and one with an obvious answer. Simon got the point. Will you?

An earlier iteration was that Christ touches upon our responsibility as children of God, for to be like God, or to be like Christ, we must employ the same mind set, the same nature, the same predilection of character. We are called upon to employ judgment, a thing we do daily in a multitude of cases. We judge: that is how we know, how we navigate. Sadly, many of our judgments are baseless opinions –and that touches upon the meaning of this parable.

We are called upon to achieve a measure of spiritual correctness, or righteousness. If we can manage that, then we may be sure we are on the same page with Simon when Christ affirms “Thou hast rightly judged”.

Imagine

This week, I offer only this short opinion piece. More precisely, it is the beginning of an opinion. Perhaps you will help me build upon it.

Imagine a nation without borders. Imagine no border patrol, but instead, a people patrol. Why not put in place a system that permits and encourages a better life wherever they may find themselves, or wherever they may choose to go? Let that system no longer guard borders, but values and standards.

This is my thought. Let America and Mexico join as one, each in full control of their separate identities, yet working in harmony for the good of the people. Who would be denied access? Gangs, criminals, and terrorists would find in our new union a border impossible to breach. Could you live in such a nation? Would you be proud to be a citizen?

The new union would be such an institution that would serve the needs of the people; citizens of the new union would be such as treat each other with respect and compassion. Of course, standards would have to be created, policies set in place. To move to a new place, one would necessarily have to obligate oneself to the standards of that region.

Governments could no longer claim to be powers or authorities, for they exist merely to serve the will of the people. Police and military, under the standards elected by the people, would hold themselves accountable to the citizenry of the new union – for, after all, they are its citizens, too.

Canada would hear of the new union, and of course, they would want to join in. What might we call a citizen of the new union? Canamexicans? Mexcamericans? Amexadians? Regardless, it would be a society of standards. We might say, when in Canada, do as the Canadians do – or, when in America, or when in Mexico. The appropriate standards would insure that a citizen has rights equal to his obligations.

Growing together

We're looking for meaning. Read correctly, the Bible offers just that. The parables of Christ are two-fold: on the one hand they are like a key that gets us through a door we want to open; on the other hand they are like the door that bars entrance to all but those who have the key.

Isn't it cool how talking about something common and ordinary can either enlighten some people as to meaning, or else from others keep it hidden? Christ explained meaning through the common place. “So is the kingdom of God.”

Christ could take a dumb farmer, and with him explain the mysteries of the universe. Let us take the clue: a farmer represents the man who is working toward a goal, meaning-of-life-wise, a seeker of truth – someone with a plan.

Like the farmer, any of us may be “a man (who) casts his seed into the ground.” We may “sleep and rise night and day,” maintaining our quest with all diligence. Yet, to spite all of our most heroic efforts, what we are after is a thing that pretty much takes care of itself: “the seed should spring and grow,” and we are left to confess our ignorance: “he knoweth not how.”

Even in our modern age of information, there are farmers who are no experts in the botanical sciences. Some of them are as dumb as they come, but they can plant a field and reap the harvest. Their labors, even in their ignorance, will lead them to the purpose and meaning of their profession.

One of the complaints lodged against the faithful is that they do not have the science, or the facts and figures, on their side. I say, that is precisely the hopeful message found in the parables of Christ. One need not be an expert seeker of truth to find truth. I was fluent in no particular language when I began to speak. As we know through faith, the thousand mile journey of a farmer begins and ends with a single step. To find meaning, to achieve purpose, we need only be the farmer.

“The earth brings forth fruit of herself, first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.” We need only take it a step at a time. When everything falls into place, we reach out and seize truth, meaning, purpose – “because the harvest is come.”