The Parable of the Beaten Jew: Part 4 - Role Reversal

The scriptures tell us that the lawyer was, "seeking to justify himself," when he asked the famous, and still asked question, "Who is my neighbor?" Christ's answer comes in the form of the well known parable commonly known as that of the Good Samaritan. While I won't quote the entire parable, allow me to summarize it for you (the entire text is found starting in verse 30 of Luke, chapter 10. Worth looking at as you read this....). A certain Jewish fellow sets out walking along the Road to Jericho, well known for being a hot-spot for muggers, thieves, etc. As the man goes about his way, he is attacked by a group of thieves, robbed, stripped naked, beaten, and left for dead. As he lay there dying, a priest happens to walk by, but offers no help. Some time later, a Levite, another Jew, walks by, but he, too, offers no aid to his dying countryman. Finally, a Samaritan, a member of a race hated by the Jews, a product of Gentile blood mingling with that of the Jews, comes his way. However, unlike the Priest and the Levite, and despite the fact he was the sworn enemy of the Jewish people, he stopped and anointed the beaten Jew's wounds with oil and bandaged them up. He placed the dying man on the back of his donkey and brought him to the closest inn. He paid the inn keeper, in advance, the cost of lodging and whatever means necessary for nursing the Jew back to health, and promised to return and repay any further expenses. At the end of His parable, Christ again turns the lawyer's question back to him. "Which of those three proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" The lawyer gives what is obviously the correct answer, "The one who showed him mercy." To this, Christ simply replies, "Go and do like wise." This parable is commonly understood and explained as instruction on how to love your neighbor, using the Samaritan as the prime example. "Be like the Samaritan," you may have heard at one time or another. And while this is true, I believe we are missing something when we see it for only that. It is an aspect, but is it the main aspect? Is that what we are supposed to get out of this parable?

Let's look at the parable in light of the original question. The original question, "who is my neighbor?," introduces two parties: "me [my]" and "my neighbor". The answer pretty plainly identifies one of these parties: "Which of the three proved to be a neighbor....?" "The one who showed him mercy," the Samaritan. The Samaritan is the neighbor; So who is the "my"?

One of the primary tools of a parable is character identification. The one telling the parable would purposefully include a character or object within the context of his parable that the specific hearer(s) could identify with; something to pull the hearer into the story and make the lesson personal. First, remember here who Christ was speaking to: a lawyer, educated in the Law of Moses, accompanied, no doubt, by some Pharisee companions, who were not only educated in Mosaic Law, but were considered (at very least by themselves) the holiest, most Jewish of the Jews. Now, let's again look at the parable.

In the parable we see five major characters: The Jew, the Thieves, the Priest, the Levite, and the Samaritan. Let us first consider the Thieves. Not much discussion needed here; for obvious reasons no one, not to mention lawyers and Pharisees, would want to identify themselves with a band of murderous thieves. Second, the Priest. Now, the priest doesn't maintain any of the nastiness of the thieves, however he is a very specific character; neither the lawyer nor any of the Pharisees was a priest. Thirdly, we have the Levite. Nothing too distinct about him, but he possesses one undesirable feature, which he and the Priest actually share: they both passed by the man in need. Remember, one of the major aspects of Godliness in Old Testament Law is to give aid to the needy. For those such as this lawyer and his Pharisee friends, to not stop and help the dying Jew, to pass by on the other side of the road would be most unflattering. It might have even been considered to be Law breaking. Next, fourthly, we have the Samaritan. Now, no Jew, lawyer, Pharisee, or other wise, would for one minute dream about even pretending for a second to be a Samaritan. Notice the lawyer's answer to Christ's question about who proved to be a neighbor. He answered, "the one who showed him mercy." He wouldn't even speak the name "Samaritan". So, we've eliminated the thieves, the Priest, the Levite, and the Samaritan. That leaves us with only one person.

See, when we look at the whole parable as a parable, we see that there is only one person that the lawyer and his Pharisee friends, that the hearers of the parable can possibly relate to. Remember the question: "Who is my neighbor?" Who was the Samaritan a neighbor to? The hearers of this parable, the lawyer, the Pharisees, you, me, are the Beaten Jew. We need to see that we are the ones beaten, bloodied, naked, unable, and dying on the side of the road. We are in desperate need of help. And this, of course, changes everything....

To be Concluded....