Luke 10:25-37
Just then, a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’ He 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.’ And he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.’
But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’ Jesus 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. Now, by chance, a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, while traveling, came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He 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. The 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.” Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’ He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.”

Reflection
Samaritans and Jews were often at odds with each other in the 1st century. While they shared the first five books of the Hebrew scripture, they had different traditions and cultures. They often dehumanized each other. For example, Jewish folk believed that Samaritan territory was unclean. Thus, they avoided it or brushed off the dirt when they left it.
The lawyer’s question about “and who is my neighbor?” really means, “Who can I exclude from being my neighbor so that I do not have to love them?” In other words, “What humans are not really human?” This is a dehumanizing question whose answer could be used to justify violence against another group and the violence being done. This question is a key part of the crisis of our times.
Christians understand the Samaritan’s willingness to risk for a fellow human being is ideal. We understand the moral of the story but often miss what Jesus is modeling.
Jesus could have told a story about how a Jewish person risked caring for a Samaritan. But this may have strengthened the assumption that Jesus’ in-group are the truly human ones. Instead, Jesus flipped the script. He told a story about how a Samaritan had the humanity because of his upbringing and tradition to take a risk for the wellbeing of a person from another in-group, in this case, a Jewish person.
In response to a dehumanizing dynamic, Jesus told a positive story about a dehumanized group. He lifted up the Samaritan as a model for faithfulness and then suggested that everyone emulate his behavior.
But if we stopped there, we would miss a deeper meaning. Jesus is also asking us to emulate Jesus’ own behavior to stand up for the humanity of groups being dehumanized. This was risky for him. It probably cost him followers.
Jesus believed in one Creator, who calls us to recognize one another as human. Jesus risked his public status to recognize the humanity of Samaritans when it was in question. Jesus continues to call disciples to do the same for all dehumanized groups.
Because our identity as God’s Beloved is safe and secure, we are free to risk our reputations to stand up with and behind groups that are being dehumanized. Jesus invites us to follow him into our common humanity and go and do likewise.