City Life Starter

Written by Scott Fiddler

The Word

²⁵ And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” ²⁶ He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” ²⁷ So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ” ²⁸ And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.” ²⁹ But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

³⁰ Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. ³¹ Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. ³² Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. ³³ But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. ³⁴ So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. ³⁵ On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ ³⁶ So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” ³⁷ And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Luke 10:25-37 (NKJV)

Commentary

I’ve read this parable for many years, and I’ve read the explanations in the commentaries, but I’m still not confident I fully understand this parable. I get that the parable is about defining the word “neighbor” liberally to include even the hated Samaritans. I get that Jesus changed the lawyer’s question at the end of the parable to force the lawyer to admit he was to love the Samaritan. I get that Jesus is condemning religiosity without compassion. But I still feel I am not seeing it all. 

I do not fault Jesus or the parable for this. This is one of the wonderful things about the Word of God. Often, there are layers to its meaning, and the Holy Spirit does not reveal it fully until He determines the time is right for us in our individual lives. So, I will not pretend to see what I am missing. Instead, I will write about what I do see and hopefully clear the way for my very capable City Life Church Starter colleagues to explain the parable. 

Living in Houston, it’s easy to read this parable and conclude one should start giving money to people on the street. I live and work in downtown Houston, and it’s hard to ignore the problem when it’s waiting outside your front door or confronting you every day on the way to work. There are three kinds of people living on the street: (1) those with mental health problems; (2) victims of unfortunate circumstances; and (3) those who prefer vagrancy. The problem is I can’t help the first group, and I can’t tell the difference between those in the second and third groups. However, the Star of Hope, a Christian homeless mission downtown, knows the difference because they know the people. The Star of Hope provides food and shelter to those on the street, but in exchange they must participate in the Star of Hope’s program. The identification card they are given is the evidence the person is going through the program. So, Cindy and I give money to the Star of Hope. And, when I’m asked for money by people on the street, I refer them to the Star of Hope. If they ask for directions, I help them. If they tell me, “I don’t have an identification card,” I know giving them money will only perpetuate their problems. 

Application

Now, back to the parable. This is not a parable about a homeless person. This is a parable about a victim of crime (vv. 30, 36). And while Jesus’ command is that we love everyone, including the homeless and vagrants, loving people means helping them, not perpetuating their problems. 

I say all that to say that we should not read this parable and think that giving money to people on the street will satisfy what Jesus calls us to do here. In fact, it may be the very opposite of what we are supposed to do. Now that I have told you what I think the parable does not mean, my City Life Church Starter colleagues can tell you what it does mean.

Prayer

Lord, help the Star of Hope in downtown Houston, fulfill their mission of ending homelessness in our city. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.