The One You’d Least Expect

by Chelsea Kingston

Read Luke 10:25–37.

In what ways do your prejudices keep you from loving people unconditionally?

Think of the type of person you would least expect to act with compassion toward you. If that person showed you mercy, how would you feel?

The lawyer in this passage was so shamed by Jesus’ question at the end of the parable, he wouldn’t even utter the hated name “Samaritan.” Instead, he answered “the one who showed mercy.” In first century Jewish culture, a Samaritan was the object of racial prejudice and avoided whenever possible.

Often, this parable is interpreted to mean that Jewish law hindered the priest and the Levite from acting with compassion toward their neighbor. Instead, perhaps the point is that the Jewish leaders would have been expected to show mercy, but instead, the one who was least expected to respond with compassion did so.

In a Jewish context, the sequence of the characters is far more significant than we might realize at first reading. I once heard a Jewish New Testament scholar explain that Jesus was actually setting up a familiar pattern by casting a priest, and then a Levite as the first two characters to pass by the wounded man. To Jewish ears, this pattern would have begged for the third character to be an Israelite; therefore, representing the three major Jewish walks of life.

To better understand the significance of Jesus’ departure from the expected pattern, this scholar suggested we might imagine the parable in a modern context. For example: If we cast a pastor and a government official as the first passersby, someone listening to the story might expect a Christian or an American citizen to be the one who finally stops to help the injured person. Following Jesus’ example, though, we must choose an outsider. Our hero might be an Iranian or Afghan person.

In the ironic twist of casting a Samaritan as the hero of the story, Jesus rebuked the lawyer for posing the question, “Who is my neighbor?” The implication is that even the very last person you or I would want to come to our rescue is one we should regard as a neighbor. Our very enemies—those with whom we are at political or social odds—are the ones we are called to love with neighborly kindness.

Today, imagine yourself as the person in the ditch. Is there a person or a group of people from whom you would be ashamed to accept help? Spend some time asking the Lord to forgive you for holding a grudge or for considering yourself better than that person or group. Take time to pray for the person or people with whom you are at odds.

Chelsea Kingston lives in Bethel, Connecticut, where she works with high school and college students at Walnut Hill Community Church. She loves decorating her apartment, hosting dinner parties, and studying Jewish culture.