Loving God and Neighbor Is the Path to Holiness.
Dear Parishioners,
We are familiar with the story of the Good Samaritan. A powerful story that teaches us so much about love, sacrifice, neighbor, charity and eternal rewards. It started with a Jewish lawyer who wanted to trick and trap Jesus or perhaps to embarrass him to commit an error but was mesmerized by Jesus’s response. The lawyer knows the law and is familiar with the commandments and statues. He could have been overwhelmed by the complexities of the law that he could no longer discern the essentials and what leads to eternal life. So, he asked Jesus what he ought to do to inherit eternal life.
Jesus took him on. He gently led him on by posing question to him too: “What is written in the law.” The lawyer cites the two most famous passages in the Old Testament: “you shall love the Lord your God… and your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus was pleased with his response, but the lawyer was not satisfied. He wanted to justify himself, and in his arrogance, he asked, “And who is my neighbor” I am glad that he asked this question because it opened a well of knowledge to us. The Lord’s response will shatter old concepts and break down the barriers of hatred, discrimination, racism, tribalism and sexism.
Who is our neighbor indeed? “Where does neighborliness begin and where does it end? If we are supposed to love all men as we love ourselves, how can we possibly do it.” This is why the parable of the Good Samaritan becomes a teaching moment for everyone. Jesus tells the story to show us what a neighbor looks like and act like. A Jewish traveler was beaten up by bandits and left for dead. A Jewish priest and a Levite (temple minister) passed by without paying any attention to the victim who was dying on the roadside. He fled the scene and showed no empathy.
Then came a Samaritan, who Jesus makes the central figure in the story. The Jews have been in enmity with the Samaritans for centuries. They see them as social outcasts and ritually unclean. The Samaritan happens to befriend and provide for a dying Jew on the roadside. He goes beyond the demands of basic charity in providing for man’s needs. The lawyer was stunned but forced to admit that a neighbor is anyone in need but importantly the one who acted as neighbor. He could not even bring himself to speak the word “Samaritan” but only “the one” the lesson of the parable is that love of neighbor embraces everyone.
Jesus purposely addresses the years of enmity that exists between the Israelites and Samaritans. We are not far from them when we allow enmity, envy, bitterness, discrimination and racism to divide us. Anyone who has the spirit of the Lord can do great things. Those who harbor hatred cannot have room for God in their heart. The Lawyer is moved just like the Samaritan was moved to give aid to his enemy. They went beyond their differences and antagonisms to discover that they are brothers. Jesus teaches the lawyer as well us, that the love of neighbor entails reconciliation with all those whom God loves even though we may despise and reject them.
We are called to be good neighbors. We must resist the temptation to condemn and exclude people. Sometimes we dislike those who are too far left or too far right in the Church. We would like to chase them out or even condemn them without hearing. We are forbidden to do such a thing. The new law is laid before us. Love God and your neighbor. Moses concludes that the law of the Lord is not far from us. It resides within the human heart. It is as near as voice of conscience. That is the Word of God today, his command and our path to holiness.
Sincerely Yours In The Lord,
Rev. Vitalis Anyanike
Pastor
