The "Good" Enemy?
Scripture Text: Luke 10:25-37 The parable that we read today is commonly referred to as the “Good Samaritan” سامری نیکو but what we often lose in this designation is the shock that this parable would present to Jesus’ audience. Because Jews and Samaritans were more than simply different tribes, they were enemies. Like many of the other parables we have heard, Jesus tells this one in response to something. In this case a scholar has asked him a question. The text says that a scholar of the law comes to Jesus “to test him.” We don’t know why he wants to test Jesus, but he asks what he must do to receive “eternal life.” In the question the scholar is thinking of “eternal life” as a commodity to be earned or bought, and he assumes he just needs to do the right thing to earn it. How often do we approach faith the same way? We try to figure out what exactly we need to do to please God. Maybe we think faith is simply about securing a place in paradise after we die? Or securing a