Go And Do Likewise
July 14, 2019 15th Sunday of Ordinary - C
by Dcn. Bob Bonomi
In today’s gospel, a scholar of Jewish Law asks Jesus: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” For people of faith, it is the question that we all should ask ourselves – or rather, a question to which we should already know the answer. But do we?
We see this question asked of Jesus in all three of the synoptic Gospels, so it must be important. In John’s Gospel, Jesus isn’t asked this question, although in his Last Supper discourse he commands his disciples to “love one another”.
But in the synoptic gospels, depending on who Jesus is talking with, there appears to be two different answers. In Luke 18:18, Mark 10:17 and Matthew 19:16, when Jesus is talking with someone of wealth, the answer reflects the Mosaic Law as seen in the 10 Commandments: You shall not kill or steal or commit adultery or bear false witness, and you shall honor your father and your mother.
In the responses given to scholars of the law, however, as we see in today’s passage from Luke chapter 10 and in Matthew chapter 22:35 (where Jesus is asked “which commandment in the law is the greatest?”, Jesus refers to more foundational elements of the Jewish faith as stated in The Shema, the prayer that serves as a centerpiece of the morning and evening Jewish prayer services found in Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 5 – “You shall love the LORD, your God, with your whole heart, and with your whole being, and with your whole strength” and from the Jewish rules of conduct listed in Leviticus chapter 19: “Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your own people. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Only in Luke do we find Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan. We’re all probably familiar with this story – the comparison of the Levite and the Priest to those who you would think would be most compassionate – and so I would like to focus on the last two lines from today’s Gospel: the answer by the legal scholar to Jesus’ question of who was neighbor to the robbers' victim – "The one who treated him with mercy" and Jesus’ response: "Go and do likewise."
"Treated him with Mercy." What is mercy? The definition from Merriam-Webster is as good as any: “compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one's power.”
“Subject to one’s power…” What does that mean? Often we think of someone who has a legal or institutional authority as one who wields power: police officers, judges, military personnel. Even in the corporate world, we think of executives as powerful; as children we most likely thought the same of our parents – at least until we became teenagers.
But in his parable, it is the Samaritan who has the power to show mercy. The Samaritan is portrayed as an average Joe, albeit an outsider, who was passing by on business when he came across the injured man. As a Samaritan, he probably didn’t have much “authority” or “power” in Jewish society in the legal sense, but he did have the ability to care for the victim. And the same is true for us today. When Jesus tells the scholar to “do likewise”, he is actually talking to every one of us.
Think about the definition of mercy: “compassion or forbearance shown especially to someone subject to one's power.” We have more “power” than we think. The gifts we have received from God – our time, our talents, our treasures – all are reflections of the power that has been given to us by God. We don’t have to be policemen or judges or someone in a position of authority to wield power. We only have to be aware of, and be willing to use, the power granted to us by God in order to show another mercy.
Sometimes we don’t realize that there is always someone who needs OUR mercy. For mercy is more than just forgiveness for some injury inflicted upon us. Mercy is more than just monetary help to someone in need. Mercy is our compassionate response to Jesus’ command to love one another. Which brings us back to how we inherit eternal life.
Love God. Love one another. Follow God’s commandments. Be willing to make the sacrifices necessary for others.
“For this command that I enjoin on you today is not too mysterious and remote for you… No, it is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out."
The Law of Love is written on our hearts. The Samaritan in the parable understood this. We understand this. We have only to carry it out.
God is always there to show us His mercy for those who seek Him. Let us go and do likewise.
