That man passed by was in need of mercy. After hearing Jesus’ story, the
scholar of the law declares, and Jesus later affirms, that the neighbor was “The
one who treated him with mercy.” But mercy is not deserved, not merited; it is a
gift of compassion. So that man must have been in some way among the unde-
serving, outside the circle of those who merited the time, talent, and treasure of
that priest and Levite.
And what is the mercy the Samaritan treats him with beyond his physical needs?
Every Sunday we confess “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you,” and we pray,
“but only say the word, and I shall be healed.” Our worldly merits do make us
worthy of eternal life, the inheritance sought by the scholar. It is only the Lord’s
merciful word that heals us and makes us worthy to be in the Lord’s circle. I feel
the Samaritan had a Jonah like journey; he experienced his own unworthiness, his
own need for healing, and his own hunger for the mercy of unmerited welcome to
the Lord’s circle. He too had been rescued from a pit. He must have received
that mercy for he treated with mercy as gift of the Holy Spirit, symbolized by his
sacred pouring of oil and wine over the half-dead man’s wounds. He was
neighbor who treated his unworthy neighbor as his unworthy self healed, loved,
and made worthy by the word of the merciful Lord.
Prayer
The Good Samaritan was a disciple of mercy. We pray for compassion and
courage to go and do likewise as disciples of the merciful Jesus Christ.
_______
Phil Argento
Chair, Worship Commission