For me, the notion that salvation comes solely through the Jewish people has always been challenging to accept. I questioned why I might need a Savior from outside my own culture and philosophical traditions. This tension has been a constant companion, and I’ve reconciled with it, accepting and living with it.
However, as I read Tom Wright’s commentary on the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37, a particular phrase struck me deeply: “…Can you recognize the hated Samaritan as your neighbor? If you can’t, you might be left for dead.” This reflection led me to a profound realization.
That night, I came to see the Lord as my Good Samaritan—one who came into my territory, enduring all kinds of accusations and humiliation to rescue me. In receiving help from someone we despise or wish to avoid, we often feel humiliated and defeated. Yet, the Lord accepted such humiliation, coming to seek me despite my resistance.
This understanding made me realize how I was saved by God, who refused to let me remain lost or ‘dead.’ Reflecting on this, I wrote the song [see BT song 772], capturing the depth of this insight.
Here is the full quote:
The lawyer’s question and Jesus’ answer don’t quite match up, and that’s part of the point. He wants to know who counts as ‘neighbor’. For him, God is the God of Israel, and neighbors are Jewish neighbors. For Jesus (and for Luke, who highlights (p. 127) this theme), Israel’s God is the God of grace for the whole world, and a neighbor is anybody in need. Jesus’ telling question at the end isn’t asking who the Samaritan regarded as his neighbor. He asked, instead, who turned out to be the neighbor of the half-dead Jew lying in the road. Underneath the apparently straightforward moral lesson (‘go and do the same’), we find a much sterner challenge, exactly fitting in with the emphasis of Luke’s story so far. Can you recognize the hated Samaritan as your neighbor? If you can’t, you might be left for dead.— Tom Wright, Luke for Everyone, London, SPCK (2004), Indian Edition, Delhi, ISPCK, 2015, pp. 127-28
Revised on 6-8-2024
Gurukulam, 12-(13)-10-2017
For me, the notion that salvation comes solely through the Jewish people has always been challenging to accept. I questioned why I might need a Savior from outside my own culture and philosophical traditions. This tension has been a constant companion, and I’ve reconciled with it, accepting and living with it.
However, as I read Tom Wright’s commentary on the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37, a particular phrase struck me deeply: “…Can you recognize the hated Samaritan as your neighbor? If you can’t, you might be left for dead.” This reflection led me to a profound realization.
That night, I came to see the Lord as my Good Samaritan—one who came into my territory, enduring all kinds of accusations and humiliation to rescue me. In receiving help from someone we despise or wish to avoid, we often feel humiliated and defeated. Yet, the Lord accepted such humiliation, coming to seek me despite my resistance.
This understanding made me realize how I was saved by God, who refused to let me remain lost or ‘dead.’ Reflecting on this, I wrote the song [see BT song 772], capturing the depth of this insight.
Here is the full quote:
The lawyer’s question and Jesus’ answer don’t quite match up, and that’s part of the point. He wants to know who counts as ‘neighbor’. For him, God is the God of Israel, and neighbors are Jewish neighbors. For Jesus (and for Luke, who highlights (p. 127) this theme), Israel’s God is the God of grace for the whole world, and a neighbor is anybody in need. Jesus’ telling question at the end isn’t asking who the Samaritan regarded as his neighbor. He asked, instead, who turned out to be the neighbor of the half-dead Jew lying in the road. Underneath the apparently straightforward moral lesson (‘go and do the same’), we find a much sterner challenge, exactly fitting in with the emphasis of Luke’s story so far. Can you recognize the hated Samaritan as your neighbor? If you can’t, you might be left for dead.— Tom Wright, Luke for Everyone, London, SPCK (2004), Indian Edition, Delhi, ISPCK, 2015, pp. 127-28
Revised on 6-8-2024
Gurukulam, 12-(13)-10-2017
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