The Good Samaritan: Asking the wrong question

The parable of the Good Samaritan - as preached by most pastors - has always bothered me. Most of us know how the story goes: an expert in the law stands up to challenge Jesus, and comes up with the commandment "Love your neighbor as yourself." He then asks Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus then tells the story of a traveller who is mugged and left for dead on the road. Two religious authorities walk by but do nothing to help the man. Then a Samaritan (a hated group for the Jews) comes upon the man, helps him, treats his wounds, and takes him to an inn where he pays for the victim to stay until he is healed. Jesus then asks "Who was this man's neighbor?" The expert replies "The one who had mercy on him" (i.e. the Samaritan). Jesus replies "Go and do likewise."

Most teachers say that the moral of the story is "Be a good neighbor." But if you look at a plain reading of the text, it says something different. "Love your neighbor as yourself" - "Who is my neighbor?" - "The one who has mercy on him." What is the logical conclusion of these three statements? "Love the one who has mercy on you." Not quite what your sunday school teacher taught, right? A very wordly way of looking at things - do good to those who do good to you!

But I had missed the last statement "Go and do likewise." (Thanks to Mark Driscoll whose sermon - on another topic entirely - triggered this line of thinking.) If you look at the whole, Jesus is really saying to the expert, "You're asking the wrong question." The expert asked "Who is my neighbor?" - i.e. "Who do I *HAVE* to love?" Jesus wants him to ask "Who do I *GET* to love?" The answer then is "Whoever you see in need. Whoever you are, wherever you're going." The former question reduces the Law to a prescription. The latter question opens it up as guide to living. The former is a checklist, the latter is a lifestyle. The former is the minimum, the latter is the maximum.

I thought this might be interesting to other Mod-Bloggers out there. Maybe I am the only one who hadn't "gotten" this previously - sometimes my logical nature gets in its own way. But I suspect this may be of use to others, as well.

Drum Major quits over Inaugural Parade Faux Pas

Having played oboe/baritone horn in a Marching Band in high school, I know the joy (and the pain) that comes from being part of a parading troop. There is great joy to be had in bringing music to so many, and in representing your organization/town/state in front of so many. There is great pain and sacrifice required to build up the muscles to stand at attention for hours on end, march for hours on end, play for hours on end, and to show proper decorum for every show. It was all worth it (though I have no desire to join an adult drum corp or marching band now).

Apparently, a minor faux pas at the inaugural parade has blown up into a major kerfuffle, which has ended in the resignation of a drum major (i.e. marching conductor) from one of the bands that marched there. The drum major, having accidentally caught the new president's eye, nodded and waved to him. This was a violation of band decorum, and the band had chosen to suspend him for 6 months (no doubt a normal response for a position so coveted by so many). But an outpouring of anger from the internet over the perceived injustice has lead the poor man to instead resign from the band entirely.

We all need to learn that there are times to stand up for our fellow man, and times to let the rules of a micro-society work themselves out. I am sure many people hoped to get the drum major reinstated. Instead, they have denied him the very thing he loved.

All of Life is a Metaphor

I had a strange experience Sunday at church which seemed weirdly symbolic of our lives. During the sermon I got a bad taste in my mouth (literally, not metaphorically, I really enjoyed the sermon) so I reached into my back pocket and pulled out the sugar free gum I keep there for just such an occurrence. I popped it in, and happily chewed and freshened my mouth as the sermon drew to a close. After the sermon, Communion (i.e. the eucharist) was served. First, they brought around the bread. I hurriedly took the gum out of my mouth to chew the wafer. The gum wound up all over my hands, making a mess and requiring use of a tissue to resolve. Stupidly, I popped it back in afterwards (what was left). Then around came the cup. "Aha!" I thought, "I'll just wad up the gum in the back of my mouth and drink the grape juice." I did so. As the juice entered my mouth, I immediately realized my mistake. The minty gum and the juice were incompatible, and lead to a horrible taste in my mouth. Far worse than when I had started. And I simply wound up miserable.

I have a saying that "All of life is a metaphor," and this time it certainly was true. It was almost a parable. Thinking only of myself and of the moment, I grabbed onto a thing of the world. When I saw a Holy thing about to enter into me, I thought I could balance the two - enjoy the benefits of both. Instead, trying to balance God and the World equally lead to nothing but messy hands, and a bad taste in my mouth.