Jesus: My
friends, what’s the use of saying: “I believe in God, and I have faith”
if you don’t care about other people? If a hungry neighbor knocks at
your door and tells you, “God bless you my brother,” yet you give him
nothing to eat, then what’s the use of all this, huh?.... This is what
happens to those who profess their faith, yet remain with their arms
flailing. This faith is dead, like a tree that bears no fruits!
A Man: Very
well said! Long live the prophet from Galilee!
We were in
the temple of Jerusalem,
at the atrium for foreigners. And as always, the people from the City
of David gathered around
us to listen to Jesus and applaud him. These were the common people:
the potters, hawkers, prostitutes, water carriers... that is why we were all surprised to see the master of the Law,
in his linen cloak and wearing a thick golden ring on his finger, approach
our group...
Master: May I ask you one question, Galilean?
Jesus: Sure! We are all in conversation here. What
is it?
Master: I have been listening to you for a little
while. I only heard you speak of sharing what one has, of giving food
to the hungry.... All this is very good, I don’t deny it... But aren’t
you missing the most important?
Jesus: The most important?....
And what is the most important?
Master: God. You are forgetting God. Or is it because
you are a political agitator and not a preacher of Moses’ Law?
Jesus: He was the same God who gave Moses these
commandments of justice.
Master: Of course, Galilean, but the Law of Moses
contains a lot of commandments... What would you tell me if I asked
you which of them is the most important?
Jesus: You know the answer better than I do. What
did they teach us in the synagogue since we were children?....
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and
with all your strength.”
Master: So then, you say that the first thing is
to love God above all things, is that right?
Jesus: Of course, my friend. God,
above everything else. But... where is God? Sometimes you find
Him where you least expect Him...
Jesus: Once there was a peasant going down the solitary
road from Jerusalem to Jericho. Mounted on his old mule, that man was happily riding
his way back home. He had sold rye from his harvest for a good price,
and he was going home to his wife and children....
Peasant: Ho, ho, wake up mule!...
We still have a long way to go... Oh, dear wife, wait till you hear
my story....! Larara, lararara...!
At last, we’ll be able to settle our debts with this little money...
God, am I so lucky today!.... Larari,
lararari!
Jesus: But it was not a lucky day for him because
at one bend of the road, in the middle of the desert, a band of robbers
was awaiting him... and when the man passed by ....
Robber: Give me all your money if you want to save
your skin!
Peasant: No, please, don’t do this to me... I worked
for this for six months, it’s for the food
of my children... I’m nothing but a poor man...
Robber: Here, take this!
Peasant: Oh, please, don’t!....
Ohhhh!...
Jesus: The robbers gave him a blow on the back of
his neck, scared the mule away and took away all his money....
Robber: I think he’s dead... Strip him of his clothes,
too...
Another
Robber: Bah, just
dump him in that ditch... and let’s get out of here before anyone sees
us.... Hurry!
Jesus: So they left him half dead by the road, naked
and without his money... Soon, when the sun shone brightly over the
desert, a caravan of camels was seen heading for the road. The priest
from Jericho was travelling to Jerusalem to worship in the temple of God, a solemn cult of the children of Israel...
Sophar: I assure you, Priest Eliphaz,
the feasts of this year will be beautiful...
Eliphaz: That’s right, Sophar.
I was told that the high priest has ordered the purchase of the best
incense from Arabia...
Sophar: He also bought new cups for the altar. They
are made of pure gold from Ophir... let’s
hope we won’t run out of wine to fill them up..... Ha!
Eliphaz: Hey,... do you see
something in that ditch?...
Sophar: Where?... Oh, yeah....
but I can’t figure it out well.... is it a dead animal.... or a man?
Eliphaz: I bet it’s a man.... a drunk
man. He must have drunk more wine than his body could take. He should
be ashamed of himself getting drunk on these sacred days. Ah, Priest
Sophar, these are the vices that plague our country nowadays!
Sophar: Hey, aren’t you ashamed of this?!!... You
don’t even have respect for the Lord and his Law..... He’s not even
aware of it... Maybe he’s dead... Do you think we should get a little
closer to see if we can do something for him?
Eliphaz: Look, Priest Sophar,
if he is alive, then he’ll know how to fend
for himself... if he was able to get here, then he should know his way
out too... and if he is dead, then what for?
Sophar: You’re right, Eliphaz.
That’s a very sensible observation... But, what if he is only.... half
dead?
Eliphaz: Do you know what I’m thinking of, Sophar? This type of people is an ungrateful lot, so they
don’t deserve any help. A priest who was a friend of mine gave a lift
to one of this kind. He had barely travelled
a couple of miles, when the guy threatened him with a knife and robbed
him of everything he had.... Now, isn’t that sad?...
Sophar: Yeah, I think you’re right. I guess this
poor fellow is dead.... At least, Sir, you can give him his last blessing!
Eliphaz: Amen.
Sophar: Well, let’s forget about this. Let’s proceed
with the journey, for we might be late for the ceremony.... Hooo, hooo, camels, let’s go...!
Jesus: In a short while, another traveller passed through that same dusty road. He was a Levite,
one of those entrusted to teach God’s commandments to the people. He
was accompanied by his wife...
Levite: I’m telling you Lydia, I’m not ready for anything... It’s easier to give a
talk in a small village.... but to deliver a sermon in the synagogue
of the capital is something else!
Lydia: There’s
no need to worry, Samuel. Talk about.... God’s love, that we have to
be good, and... that.
Levite: Hey, what’s that bulk over there, huh?... Look...
Lydia: Oh
no, don’t tell me it’s a dead man... I’m scared of the dead!
Levite: No, he’s just wounded,
the blood is still fresh.... look.
Lydia: Oh,
this is horrible! Let’s go, Samuel. The sight of blood makes me sick,
you know that... I can’t stand this anymore....
Levite: But, who is this poor creature? He’s so beaten
up.
Lydia: He’s
probably one of those rebels conspiring against Governor Pilate... Of
course, they’re always in trouble, meddling in politics, and see how
they end up... They can’t complain....
Levite: As a matter of fact, this fellow can’t complain.
Lydia: Remember
Daniel’s son? He was such a nice young man... until he became a rebel...
poor guy!... He ended up like this man... I
really don’t understand why people can’t simply live in
peace... What do you say, Samuel?
Levite: People are so violent, that’s why, Lydia. And of course, they have no respect for the Lord. They
are taught the commandments and the good deeds... but that’s all. Everything
enters through the right ear and passes through the left. If they loved
God, these things would not happen... Blessed be God!
Lydia: And
His holy name!
Levite: And this beast should better hurry, or we
won’t get in time for judgment day!... Ea....
donkey,.. hurry up!...
Jesus: Then it happened that another peasant was
crossing the bend on his old and skinny mule...
Samaritan: What a terribly hot day! Who could have ever
invented the desert? If I don’t take these figs to the market, no one
will buy them; but if I bring them with me, they get rotten along the
road... and then they say that God does things very well!... I’d say
the contrary... because oftentimes he gives you something that you’re
helpless about.... Dammit, when I get to Jerusalem, I wouldn’t even have a fig to crush in the belly of
the high priest, Caiphas!
Jesus: That peasant was a Samaritan, who did not
believe in God, nor set a foot in the Temple. When he saw the badly wounded man...
Samaritan: Hey, what happened to you?!!... Damn, this guy looks
terrible... He’s almost dead... If I am bad, this is even worse... The
vultures must all be preparing for the grand feast!
Jesus: The Samaritan got off from his mule and went
over to the man who was lying in the ditch. First he washed the blood
from his face.
Samaritan: This wine will cure your wounds... let’s see... the oil
will remove the pain... that’s it...
Jesus: Then he tore off his tunic and wrapped him
with bandages. He covered him with his cloak and lifted him from the
ground...
Samaritan: And they say that God takes care of the world
and his people!... Well, see how He took care
of this poor creature!... All this is silly
talk!...
Jesus: The Samaritan who did not believe in God
put him on his mount, together with the sack of figs that he was bringing
to the market. Though he was on his way to Jericho, he returned to the inn in Anathoth,
where he attended to him and spent the night watching over him as the
fever went up on account of his wounds... When it was dawn, the Samaritan
spoke to the innkeeper...
Samaritan: I have to go... I’ll pay you in advance...
Buy all the medicines he will need, and if the money is not enough,
I’ll pay you the rest when I come back.
Innkeeper: Hey, what will I tell him if he asks who
brought him here?
Samaritan: Tell
him another man brought him here... a man like
you and me... Goodbye, and good luck... Take
good care of him for me!
Jesus: That Samaritan, who did not believe in God,
nor set foot in the Temple, proceeded on his journey along the solitary and risky
road from Jerusalem to Jericho... Now, you who are a teacher of the Law, tell me, who
among them, loved the Lord?
Teacher: Well,... the truth
is... I don’t know... Of course, the man who helped the wounded did
not believe in God, but...
Jesus: ....he went to him who needed him. If at one time, on your
way to the Temple to bring your offering before the altar, you remember
that your brother needs you, leave your offering behind, go back and
seek your brother first.
The teacher
of the Law stayed a little while to listen to Jesus... Then we saw him
leave hesitatingly, until he crossed the Gate of the three arches, outside
the Temple of Jerusalem....
Many times,
when Jesus was in Jerusalem,
he would talk to the people in the atrium of the Temple,
using words that were easily understood by all. The lectures of the
scribes and doctors who taught in those places were always vague and
mysterious, as if to distinguish the “learned” from the ignorant masses.
With their moralizing interpretations, they had divested the Scriptures
of all prophetic candor. A lay man, with no special education, who spoke the
people’s language and who gave his own, free interpretation of the Scripture
to his countrymen in the presence of the experts, was amazing to the
people and irritating to the authorities in Theology. In this text,
one of them precisely raises the question of interpreting the Law.
The question asked by the teacher of the Law is a theoretical
one: Which is the fundamental commandment? Jesus does not respond theoretically,
but he does so with a practical example, a concrete experience. The
religious attitude does not only consist in accepting dogmas more or
less, of knowing one’s catechism with its list of truths and moral norms.
Faith is not only in the mind, it is also in our hands, in what we do.
Faith demands work, concrete actions which are not only directed to
God whom we do not see, but also to our brothers and sisters, whom we
see. This is the essence of the message of Jesus, of the whole Christian
faith (Mt. 5:23-24, James
1:22-27 and 2,
14-26; 1 Jn 3:11-18 and 4:19-21).
Jerusalem, being the capital, was the center of trade in the
whole country. In spite of this, communication with the other cities
was far from good. The city was separated from Jericho by 27 kilometers
from the road down along the desert of Judea. In the bald
mountains of Judea are found
a number of caves and hideouts which have become havens for highway
robbers up to the present. Banditry was then very common, and the authorities
tried to control it, but it was not that easy. As a form of retaliation,
the Romans would sometimes sack the neighboring villages. Apparently
in Jerusalem, there used
to be a special court that tried cases of looting and drew up police
measures against the bandits. At present, the road from Jerusalem to Jericho is amazing
due to its barenness, just like in those times.
It is flanked by gray and barren mountains. There is a small chapel
in one of the bends – the Chapel of the Good Samaritan – which is a
reminder to the travellers of the parable
of Jesus.
The priests passed through that road first. They had to go to
the temple of Jerusalem by turns,
in order to offer their sacrifice (blood of animals, incense, prayers).
In money and social prestige, they were a powerful and privileged group.
The Levites were under them in the service of the temple. They were
not priests, so they could not offer sacrifices, and therefore could
not go near the altar, like lay people. They were in charge of the music
in the temple. They sang in the choir and played the instruments during
worship. Others served as acolytes; they assisted the priests in donning
their vestments for the ceremony, they carried the sacred books and
cleaned the temple. Some of them who were trained in the Scriptures
also served as catechists. Still others served as police of the temple.
In Jesus’ time, there were about 10,000 Levites. For them as well as
for the priests, the Temple in all its
service, its splendor, was the fundamental value, the foremost religious
obligation. The laws on purity prohibited them from getting near a corpse.
By giving all sorts of excuses – ritual purity, haste, the contempt
they felt for “the people” – the Levites did not help the wounded man
along the road. By doing so, they thought they were doing something
pleasing to the Lord.
Having a Samaritan as the third character in his story, Jesus
surprised everyone and irked the theologian who had asked him the question.
The Samaritans were highly discriminated against by the Israelites who
felt a great disdain for them, a mixed feeling of nationalism and racism.
Furthermore, the Samaritan cited here by Jesus is not in any way a religious
man. He is an atheist who believes neither in God nor in the priests,
nor in anything. Using this as an extreme example, Jesus responds to
the theoretical question expounded by the doctor: he who loves his wounded
neighbor loves God. This is enough. And it is not necessary to perform
this charitable act “for the Lord,” but for one’s neighbor. Thus, an
outcast, an atheist, and a despised mestizo
are shown to be one who is authentically religious. Viewed as something
extremely scandalizing, the parable of the Good Samaritan is one of
the most subversive of the parables of Jesus.
The original
word employed by Jesus in this parable is not “neighbor” but the Greek
word “plesion” which is equivalent to “rea” (in Aramaic) and to our “companion.” In Jesus’ time,
it was understood that in order to please God, it was necessary to do
good to others, but the question was raised as to who were one’s “companions,”
supposedly the object of this charity. The pharisee
excluded from their love those who were not like them, the gang of rogues;
the Essenes took out “the children of darkness” (= the fishermen);
many Israelites excluded the foreigners; others, their personal enemies.
The “companion” – according to the story – refers to anyone, because
he is such, who is in need. The last part of the parable shows us who
the real “neighbor” is. The atheist who went to the wounded man becomes
his neighbor. A neighbor is not only one whom we meet on the road, but
also one in whose road we place ourselves. True love demands an active
attitude of solidarity, of reaching out, and reconciliation.
(Lk l0:25-37)