Good Samaritan, Brexit and the Somme

The beginning of the month was, as we all know, the 100th anniversary of the start of the Battle of the Somme which by its end had cost the lives of more than a 300,000 men from the European nations and the British Commonwealth with 100's of 1000's seriously injured. 

It seems perhaps a strange irony that this commemoration has come so soon after the European referendum because that referendum has opened up enormous differences. Just taking a look at facebook and twitter it’s easy to see that this decision is still very much on the agenda for people on both sides of the debate. Even the wonderful success of the Welsh football team has provided only a short diversion from the comments about the consequences of Brexit being played out in the political, economic and social life of our country. 

So what now? 

This week in our gospel (Luke 10:25-37) we have looked at the parable of the Good Samaritan. It raises the question of "Who is my neighbour?" This is a central question in the church today and one that needs to be discussed in the life of our nation especially perhaps in the light of Brexit. 

It is a question that surrounds the talk about immigration laws. 

It is a question related to how we treat each other from the corporate executive to the homeless person. 

One afternoon a lawyer was riding in his limousine when he saw two men along the road- side eating grass.  Disturbed, he ordered his driver to stop and he got out to investigate.  He asked one man, "Why are you eating grass?"  "We don't have any money for food," the poor man replied.  "We have to eat grass."  

"Well, then, you can come with me to my house and I'll feed you," the lawyer said.  "But sir, I have a wife and two children with me. They are over there, under that tree."  

"Bring them along," the lawyer replied.  Turning to the other poor man he stated, "You come with us, also."  The second man, in a pitiful voice, then said, "But sir, I also have a wife and SIX children with me!"  

"Bring them all, as well," the lawyer answered.  They all entered the car, which was no easy task, even for a car as large as the limousine was.  Once under way, one of the poor men turned to the lawyer and said, "Sir, you are too kind. Thank you for taking all of us with you."  The lawyer replied, "Glad to do it.  You'll really love my place.  The grass is almost a foot high!"

Sometimes people do great works which benefit others and it’s not for us to judge their motives but there will be some almost certainly who do things for the wrong reasons – who do things to get attention or praise, or to get something in return, but in the parable of the Good Samaritan there really wasn’t any benefit to the Samaritan other than knowing he had done the right thing. 

And this question, "Who is my neighbour?" touches every aspect of our lives. As Christians we are called to live in unity, which does not mean uniformity; but it does mean that in faith we stand united in love and grace and try and show that to others.

Jesus did not lecture the lawyer about neighbourliness, instead he told him a story. It is a story that answered the lawyer's initial question, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" And the story Jesus told is about putting words into action. 

I believe there are two challenges for us from this story recorded by Luke. 

First, for the hearers of this parable in Jesus’ day, no Samaritans were considered to be good Samaritans. Samaritans were viewed with suspicion as outsiders. But for us we are called to recognise every Samaritan, or whatever their equivalent might be to us, as a "good" Samaritan, and we are called to live seeing not race or sexual preference or background or wealth or even how a person might treat us, but called to see someone created in the image of God and someone we are to care for as if they were Jesus himself.

Anything less is a complete rejection of what Jesus has taught us and shown us….

Secondly, we often see the story of the Good Samaritan too narrowly as one single man's compassion. All we see are the victim, the perpetrator and the rescuer as the players in the story. We forget the bystanders who are just ordinary; going about their business. And there are lots of different people in this story – all with different things on their minds, all with good excuses not to get involved… 

There is a folk story from Burma that captures what I think Jesus was saying to all listening when he told the parable. It is another story that reminds us that actually there are no bystanders in life…. 

Long ago a traveller was walking through the jungles of Burma when he came upon a small village. As the sun was going down, he decided to just sleep along the roadside and enter the village in the morning. Taking his coin purse from around his neck, he found a stone nearby and hid his purse so no one would take it as he slept. 

As it turned out, a villager had spotted him hiding the purse. Late at night as the traveller slept, the villager returned and stole the purse. When the traveller awoke, the money was gone. The traveller sat down beside the road and began to weep. 

A crowd began to gather curious about this traveller weeping on the edge of the village. Before long the mayor joined the crowd and inquired about the situation. He listened to the traveller and then asked to see the stone. The traveller walked a short distance to a round stone about the size of a man's head.

The mayor ordered, "Arrest that stone. Bring that thief to the town square where I'll convene a court." The villagers followed the mayor and the traveller to the town square. Once the village elders were in place, the mayor convened the court. The mayor asked the stone, "What is your name?" The stone was silent.

The mayor leaned forward closer to the stone and demanded, "Where did you come from?" More silence. "Well at least tell me your age." By this time some of the villagers were casting glances at each other. Small smiles and puzzled looks were on the faces of the villagers. 

The mayor pushed his face closer to the stone. "So, you don't want to speak up? Tell me, why were you loitering outside our village?" The villagers began to cover their mouths to muffle their laughter. "So, were you looking for trouble?" Some of the villagers could not contain themselves any longer; they let out a laugh. The mayor turned to the crowd and declared, "Show some respect. This is a court of law."

The mayor turned back to the stone. "You will not answer my questions, so I hold you in contempt of court. In punishment, you will receive thirty lashes with a stick." The crowd could no longer contain themselves. They let out uproarious laughter. 

The mayor turned to the crowd, "Have you no respect for this court? I fine every one of you a coin each," One by one the villagers came forward and dropped a coin in a bowl in front of the mayor. 

The mayor then gave the coins to the traveller and apologized for the crime that had been committed outside of their village. The traveller's eyes filled with tears, for what he had lost had been restored.

The mayor wished the traveller well and ordered the stone to be returned to the place where it was found. 

Every time the villagers walk past the stone, they are reminded that they share the burdens of one another and all who pass their way…. As I said earlier this story and the parable reminds us there are no bystanders in this life. 

We all know the right thing to do. We know deep in our hearts that we are all connected to one another as neighbours. 

Jesus asked the lawyer after reciting the parable about the Samaritan, "Which one of these acted like a neighbour?" 

The lawyer replied, "The one who showed mercy." Jesus said, "Go and do likewise." 

The story and the parable show us how being a neighbour works. The story may have ended, the results of the referendum may be in, but it is not over. Loving our neighbour must go on… 

We walk a rocky path in our lives at times and we often rely on relationships to get us through, but we are also to recognise others on their journey, and to be a neighbour to them. We are to recognise need and to go the extra mile for people because that’s what being a true neighbour is about. 

And this parable reminds us very clearly that our neighbours are everywhere – they are not just the people who look like us or act like us or who belong to the same church or club – they are the people who we find a bit different as well – the people we find it hard to like, the people who may well not thank us if we are able to help them. It doesn’t matter whether they do or not because in caring for another person we have shown them something of the love of God. 

Jesus asked at the end of his story, ‘who showed compassion ?’ and the lawyer replied, ‘the one who cared’ and Jesus said "Go and do likewise." The rest of the story is up to us. AMEN