Reflection from Nigel PriceLuke 10.25-37The Parable of the Good Samaritan 25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’” 28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” 29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?” 30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ 36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” (NIV)ReflectionThis is a really familiar story and I am sure that you have heard it many times before. What I hadn't realised until a few weeks ago on hearing a sermon on Ezra, just how deep seated was the hatred between the Jews and Samaritans. There is mention of Samaria in the fourth chapter of Ezra and this goes back possibly to the sixth century BC. But there are definite religious references to the Samaritans in the 5th Century BC. The Samaritans believed that they were the preservers of the true original Mosaic religion. This hatred has never abated and can still be seen today in the tension between Israelis and Palestinians.Now the best known stories can often be the hardest to understand, so we need to delve a little deeper. So just a few random thoughts. First the question is not who the Samaritan considered to be his neighbour, but who turned out to be the neighbour of the half-dead Jew lying in the road.The lawyer thought he would be able to trap Jesus into saying something heretical, but instead Jesus makes him reveal his own summary and then simply agrees with it. Jesus makes it clear that his vision of the wide reaching grace of God is not heretical but rather the fulfilment of the commandment the lawyer deems so vital.These days no one could be happy seeing someone left half-dead in the road (or could they?) so we need to find some other way of telling the story of the wonders of God's love that will inspire listeners in the same way this brilliant parable did. Additional Collect: God, our judge and saviour, teach us to be open to your truth and to trust in your love, that we may live each day with confidence in the salvation which is given through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England (2000) (including the Psalter as published with Common Worship), material from which is included here, is copyright ©The Archbishops' Council 2000
The repairs to the bell tower of the church started in March and work is progressing well.Once the repairs have been done the bells will be able to be rung again; we still need to raise money to complete the job, though, so any contributions to this will be welcome.
