Recently, I saw a story online about an encounter at a movie theatre. This particular showing was sold as accessible and included close captioning for those who are hearing impaired. Unfortunately, there were a couple of individuals who didn’t pay attention to this particular detail. They were not happy about seeing the text scroll across the screen and decided to loudly and rudely object. When a father spoke up and asked them to stop because his son is deaf and deserves to enjoy the movies, they got even louder and demanded to speak to the manager expecting the theatre to accommodate them.
The other movie goers, however, were not impressed by these entitled individuals. On mass, they sided with the father and demanded that these loud, obnoxious individuals be removed from the theatre for their insensitive behaviour. The manager happily did so, to the applause of the theatre and then gave the son complimentary pop and popcorn for the inconvenience.
Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus…wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbour?"
The lawyer in this story wants clarification about who the law expects him to treat with dignity and respect. He wants a clear definition of who to include and exclude in acts of compassion. After all, such clarity could make life so much easier, especially if Jesus’ response allowed him to ignore those individuals who were viewed as deserving of suffering because of their sinfulness.
We know there are those who prefer narrow definitions of neighbour. Some like to focus on those who are close in some way including those who are neighbours by blood and proximity. Like the priest and the Levite, a narrow definition of neighbour allows them to justify walking past and otherwise ignoring those in need so as not to undermine their own purity and righteousness.
Jesus doesn’t make it so easy. He crafts a story which paints the most hated, vile, group of people as the hero, the one who does right by someone who would otherwise ignore and demean him. In one powerful story, Jesus answers the question about who our neighbour is by saying everyone, even those who don’t look like you, act like you, live like you, or believe like you.
In the story of the Good Samaritan, we are told that neighbour is not limited to a family circle, geography or any other definition that allows us to be comfortable and focus on our own expectations and priorities. In the story of the Good Samaritan, neighbour is emphasised as a moral requirement to find the humanity in every single human being. To emulate such compassion and inclusion is part of what it means to follow the Way of Jesus.
In fact, the story of the Good Samaritan is one of the reasons our Baptismal Covenant asks:
Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbour as yourself?
And then adds:
Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?
There are no exceptions implied in either of these questions. To embody the lessons offered in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we are called to see and treat everyone as our neighbour. We are called to respect the dignity of every human being. We don’t get to play favourites. We don’t get to ignore the needs of anyone.
But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbour?"
Today we are reminded that when we are facing acts of injustice, whether it is rude individuals in a movie theatre or violence directed at individuals for being different, we are perpetually called to remember the Good Samaritan. We are called to care and act, doing what we can to ensure our neighbours are treated with respect and dignity. May we truly and continually seek to embody love in action for our neighbours as modelled first and foremost by the One who, in love, became like us to show us the way, Jesus Christ. This we pray as we sing: (VT) 712 Beauty for Brokenness