BEING A NEIGHBOR
Luke 10:25-37
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, Year C
Analysis by Ben Williams
25Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” 27He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” 28And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”
29But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. 31Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ 36Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” 37He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
From Wikimedia
“On the cross, Christ faces the world’s violence, fear, and sin – and does not shy away.”
Author’s Note: While some interpretations have portrayed the priest and Levite, despite going away from the temple, as avoiding the wounded man to maintain ritual purity. These readings, however, overlook that their own laws and traditions command compassion, aid, and the care for corpses (see 1 Macc. 2:31-41, 2 Macc. 6:11, Tobit 1:16-20). The priest and Levite, in their fear, are not keeping the law but breaking it! So, we must ask: Do we live in a world of danger where we must protect ourselves or a world created and sustained by a good and trustworthy God? Jesus confronts our way of being, challenges our fears, and transforms our lives through mercy.
DIAGNOSIS: A Life of Fearful Absence
Step One: Initial Diagnosis (External Problem) – Passing By
The road from Jerusalem to Jericho was notoriously dangerous. The priest and Levite do not simply ignore the wounded man – they deliberately avoid him. They see a threat: perhaps the robbers are still nearby, or the man is a trap. Either way, the safest course seems to be self- preservation. Their world is a dangerous one, and danger demands avoidance.
We witness suffering constantly: in unhoused people on the streets, in conflicts abroad, in struggling neighbors. We don’t ignore these realities, but like the priest and Levite, we often pass by to protect ourselves.
Step Two: Advanced Diagnosis (Internal Problem) – Withdrawing Into The Self
The problem isn’t lack of awareness, but fear. Fear tells us: “You don’t have the time, resources, or security to help.” Fear narrows our focus. We become curved inward, concerned with self- justification, self-protection, and self-righteousness. The lawyer seeks to manage the command to love by limiting its reach. He wants a world he can predict, not one that invites risk.
Fear can also drive us to tribalism, to surround ourselves with those who look like us, think like us, and believe like us. We trust in boundaries and rules more than in God’s expansive mercy. We become small, transactional, and guarded.
Step Three: Final Diagnosis (Ultimate Problem) – God’s Absence
When we act out of fear, we create a self-fulfilling prophecy. The world becomes dangerous because we make it so. We abandon the vulnerable, withdraw compassion, and harden our hearts.
In doing so, we rebel against God. We reject God’s character and call. We legislate suspicion. We normalize inequality. We spiritually bind ourselves and call it rational. We act as if God has left us and the world to fend for ourselves.
PROGNOSIS: A Life of Redemptive Presence
Step Four: Initial Prognosis (Ultimate Solution) – God With Us
Jesus is the One who finds us and does not pass by. He enters our ditch. He bears our wounds. He risks everything and gives everything. On the cross, Christ faces the world’s violence, fear, and sin – and does not shy away. He brings life through death, healing through mercy. In doing so, he breaks the cycle of violence by responding to hatred with grace, to fear with love, and to abandonment with presence. He becomes what we refuse to be and invites us into a perfect love that casts out fear.
Step Five: Advanced Prognosis (Internal Solution) – Becoming Present
The Holy Spirit reshapes our inmost being. Through faith, we begin to experience a world not as a battleground, but as a field of neighbors. We stop asking “Who is my neighbor?” and start asking, “How can I be a neighbor?” Fear gives way to trust. And trust gives way to compassion. We join our communities in being there for those in the ditch.
Step Six: Final Prognosis (External Solution) – Embodying Mercy
We are sent into the world as people no longer bound to suffering, no longer captives of fear. We recognize strangers as neighbors and enemies as siblings. Mercy becomes our modus operandi. We become first responders of grace. We volunteer, advocate, accompany, and listen. We risk proximity. Because of Jesus, there are no strangers on the road – only neighbors walking together.
