Luke 6:31 should be easy enough: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
If that Bible verse feels like a tongue-twister or isn’t easy on the eyes to read, then you’re not alone. In short: Be kind, generous, and loving.
Yet there’s fine print: When you cannot be those things, think about how you would feel to be on the receiving end of something other than love.
Jesus teaches us how we should treat each other – and why that treatment of others is important to our getting into heaven. During His Sermon on the Plain, Jesus acknowledged that we must accept the challenges facing us and the wrongs done wrong to us. During this sermon, Luke walks us through Jesus’ directions for His followers.
This sermon starts with the Golden Rule and ends with the parable of the Good Samaritan.
Many know David Guzik for his verse-by-verse commentary on the entire Bible. From this biblical commentary:
“i. ‘The Golden Rule’ was not invented by Jesus; it is found in many forms in highly diverse settings. About A.D. 20, Rabbi Hillel, challenged by a Gentile to summarize the law in the short time the Gentile could stand on one leg, reportedly responded, ‘What is hateful to you, do not do to anyone else. This is the whole law; all the rest is commentary. Go and learn it.’ (b. Shabbath 31a). Apparently only Jesus phrased the rule positively. (Carson)
“ii. In so doing, Jesus made the command much broader. It is the difference between not breaking traffic laws and in doing something positive like helping a stranded motorist. Under the negative form of the rule, the goats of Matthew 25:31-46 could be found ‘not guilty.’ Yet under the positive form of the Golden Rule – Jesus’ form – they are indeed found guilty.” (Guzik)
Like anyone else who sees a stranded motorist, we might pray -- or stop to help. Someone might call 911 or AAA to help the motorist without having to stop. This reminds us of those who passed by. . . and that one person who helped in the story of the Good Samaritan.
My teenagers would remember an important skit from Confirmation retreats by having each person play a part. The roles included walking across the stage, fighting for their lives, being robbed, not helping at all, or showing the greatest love we can for a stranger by going above and beyond the call of duty.
The story of the Good Samaritan served as a Sunday gospel last month. A law scholar asked Jesus an earnest question, but he started pushing buttons for what one may view as the legal definition for the word “neighbor.” He asked Jesus for his interpretation of the law and how he understood it. The answer follows in Luke 10:30-35:
Why didn’t the priest stop and help? We will never know?
Why didn’t the Levite stop and help? This was more cut and dry. There were laws against Levites touching dead or dying bodies. If one of them did this on the Sabbath, then he would not be able to complete his priestly duties for a certain amount of time.
Why did the Samaritan help -- and what consequences could have ensued? The Jewish people did not like Samaritans. The Samaritan would not have been a person that these scholars would have wanted in their midst. The Jews considered Samaritans a lower form of life.
Don’t just read this gospel at face value. Look deeper. Take the leap of faith in understanding that everyone is your neighbor. If you cannot help, then say a prayer or offer grace.
In recent years when you stop to help your neighbor, new laws protect those who help – but do not have any medical, emergency, or law enforcement training. In New Jersey, where I teach, the Good Samaritan Law reads as follows:
“The first law protects bystanders who voluntarily give first aid or medical assistance from civil liability. This law prevents a person from being sued for making a mistake while providing emergency care for an injured person. However, there are exceptions, such as when aid isn’t offered in good faith” (Villani).
“The second law protects people from arrest and criminal prosecution related to reporting a possible drug overdose. In some cases, this law stops police and prosecutors from using evidence obtained as a result of someone calling for medical help” (Villani).
All this leads to “Good Samaritan” trending on Twitter a week after we heard the end of the Sermon on the Plain from our priests. Someone with a gun opened fire in the food court at Greenwood Park Mall in Greenwood, Indiana. Even though he had multiple magazines of ammunition, someone else with a gun at the mall shot and killed him.
Jim Ison has spent two decades with the Greenwood Police Department – and the last two years as its chief. At a briefing immediately following the shooting, he called the person who killed the gunman a “Good Samaritan.” If you read Luke 10:30-35, then you see that this person might have done the most good. Twitter users argued that if you read the Bible, then the police chief’s choice to call the second shooter a Good Samaritan might need a second thought.
How long would it have taken for police to respond? How many people could have died in the time waiting for authorities? Could this have ended any other way through conversation and mediation?
We may never have all of these answers. However, we can love our neighbors – all of them.
Guzik, David. “Luke Chapter 6.” Enduring Word, 6 Aug. 2020, https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/luke-6/.
Villani, Carmine. “How Do New Jersey's Good Samaritan Laws Work? - Villani & Deluca.” Villani & DeLuca, P.C., 30 Oct. 2019, https://www.villanideluca.com/understanding-the-new-jersey-good-samaritan-law/.