Fr. Michael Williams

I don’t know about you, but I sometimes ask Jesus a few questions. Why have you let such and such a thing happen? Why haven’t you intervened in such and such a situation? I am sure on various occasions we all have some questions to put to Jesus.

I think it’s legitimate to ask Jesus a question or two. Our questions can help develop our understanding of who Jesus is and what his message is all about.

The lawyer in the gospel we have just heard asks a question of Jesus. According to St. Luke, the lawyer’s motive in asking the question was “to disconcert Jesus”. Nevertheless, the lawyer asks an excellent question, “Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Many people are asking that question today, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” The answer people are receiving from some quarters, especially the advertising industry, is that we need to use the latest anti-wrinkle cream or have a face-lift or go into cold storage until they find a cure for the disease that is killing you. People are looking for eternal life on this earth, but eternal life is something that belongs to the next world. That’s not to say that there is no connection between this world and the next, because one does flow into the other; and the kind of life we live now determines our eternal life as the parable of the Good Samaritan illustrates. But it is important to stress that eternal life is something totally different to what we know now.

The initial answer that Jesus gives in how to obtain eternal life is probably what most Jews present would have expected to hear. Jesus says, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself”. That command was the most fundamental principle of the whole Jewish law and a command that was part of their daily prayer.

But the lawyer follows up with another question, “And who is my neighbour?” When we ask Jesus question he normally does not give an answer we expect to hear. He goes a bit deeper with his answer, than we expect. To the question, “And who is my neighbour?” Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan to his Jewish audience.

It’s probably worth pointing out that there was great bitterness and enmity between Jews and Samaritans. Perhaps the bitterness and enmity between Israel and Palestine today reflects some of the hatred that Jews and Samaritans felt for one another two thousand years ago.

In the story the Jewish priest and Levite are on the road that leads to the Temple in Jerusalem. They walk past their Jewish brother who has been left “half dead” by the robbers. The Samaritan who walks past, forgets about religious differences, and only sees a human being who is in desperate need. The Samaritan “moved with compassion” shows incredible care and love towards his fellow human being. No expense is spared in helping this victim of violence. The Samaritan is generous with his time and with his money in ensuring the injured man is well cared for.

After telling the parable, Jesus asks the lawyer a question, “Which of these three, do you think, proved himself a neighbour?” We can ask questions of Jesus, but Jesus will ask questions of us too. “Which of these three, do you think, proved himself a neighbour?” The answer is obvious, “The one who took pity on him”. Jesus is teaching us that the one who takes pity on the person in need is always the true neighbour. Helping the needy, and we all know needy people, is to be a Good Samaritan. To walk by on the other side is to make a mockery of religion, which is what the priest and Levite did in the story.

At the end of the gospel Jesus tells the lawyer, “Go and do the same yourself”. In other words go and take pity on those who you meet and who are in desperate need. That is the road that leads to eternal life. The eternal life of heaven is filled with Good Samaritans, people who while on earth gave their time and energy to needy people. And as Jesus told the lawyer to “Go, and do the same”, so he is telling us today.