So often when one thinks of medicine in the bible their mind immediately turns to the parable of the Good Samaritan. While this certainly makes sense, the challenge with this parable is that we are so familiar with it, which perhaps that familiarity prevents the parable from speaking to us in our present context. So often, when we hear parables that are familiar to us, we tend to skip over the details of the parable to jump to conclusions we already hold about the parable. Yet, the scriptures are the inspired word of God, and God always has something new to offer us. So simply jumping to what we remember about the parable takes away the opportunity for God to speak something new to us. Just as each patient must be evaluated individually before you can apply your knowledge about a current condition, so too, we must first come to the text, hear it, and then apply what we know. So, let’s turn the 10th chapter of St. Luke’s Gospel to hear the parable of the Good Samaritan.
But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn and cared for him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, ‘Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.’ Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Context
Taking passages out of context is dangerous and so if we really want to understand this parable, we need to understand it in the wider context. The parable of the good Samaritan comes immediately after Jesus answers the challenge of the lawyer who asked “Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”[1] Isn’t this the most important question that any of us can ask? Afterall what is life worth, if it doesn’t lead to heaven? If you remember this exchange between Jesus and the lawyer, you’ll recall that the lawyer answers his own question by responding with the two great commandments: love God above all things and one’s neighbor as oneself. Of course, that answer then begs the question, who is my neighbor? The parable comes as Jesus’ response to the question.
Friends, at the outset we encounter a very simple lesson, namely, if we want to attain eternal life, we must treat the victim before us. Is this not the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 25 when he said “whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me”[2] It should not surprise us than that Jesus concludes the parable by giving the command “Go and do likewise.”[3]
We are called to be neighbor to the robber’s victim. Pope Benedict reminds us in his encyclical Letter Deus Caritas Est that “the spiritual stature of a person’s life is measured by love, which in the end remains ‘the criterion for the definitive decisions about a human life’s worth or lack thereof.”[4] Said in another way, each of us will be judged on the condition of how we love. If we want to attain eternal life, we must love the neighbor before us. For you who are called to the vocation of medicine, your call to love is lived out in each of the patients who come before you.
Having looked at how the parable ends, let’s go back and see how it begins. The parable of the Good Samaritan starts with the victim making the journey from Jericho to Jerusalem. These places are not randomly chosen. Jerusalem is the heavenly city while Jericho is the lowest point of the known earth. Thus, we can see in this journey as an indication that the victim is moving away from heaven. This then can be seen in two different ways. Firstly, following the teaching of Christ who taught that whatever we do to the least of our brothers we do until him, and we can see the victim as Jesus. This view allows us to see beautifully Jesus bringing about our salvation. Jesus is after all the “lamb, once slain who lives forever.”[5] Seeing the victim as Jesus allows us to see the one who came into this world to raise us up to heaven. Said in another way, in treating the victim before us we help to work out our salvation, in the words of St. Paul “with fear and trembling.”[6] Likewise we could also see the victim as a poor human being like you and I, who when we choose sin begin to walk away from eternal life. If we see this victim as a fellow pilgrim through this earthly journey. We realize that in reaching out to help the victim, we are not only restoring them to physical health, but that we also have a chance to restore them to spiritual health as well. Friends, each of us is a body-soul composite and thus what we do to bring about healing for the person must be addressed at both the level of the body and the soul.
This journey from Jericho to Jerusalem is only about 15 miles long, but because of its terrain it takes a good 8 hours to walk. The path itself is hilly, winds through a desert and in some places the road is very narrow. It is the perfect place for robbers. This journey was a well-trodden path, where it was not uncommon for those traveling to be susceptible to ambushes. Is this not the case for each of us on the journey of life. Is it not true that each of us is only one misfortune away from being a victim? Tragically, both historically and figuratively the situation Jesus describes is a common occurrence. And the victim is not the rare special case. He is the usual patient you see. Yet at the same time, he is not just another statistic or generalized victim. No our hearts should be moved for pity with the victim. Is this not true for the patient you see before you? Have you considered that you could very easily be the patient before you? Friends, no matter how routine a patient may seem, they are not routine.
To understand the full meaning of this parable we also have to see what comes after it. The parable of the Good Samaritan is immediately followed by the well-known story of Martha and Mary. We all know the story; Martha is distracted by serving and complains to Jesus that she is doing all the serving, while Mary sits with Jesus. In answer to Martha’s complaint, Jesus responds that Mary has chosen the better part. There is something more important to our vocations than simply work. Your work in health care puts you in contact with Jesus, but are you so consumed by your work that you are missing the fact that you are ministering to Christ? When is the last time you just sat for a moment with a patient?
Is it not the case, that the victim provided those who passed by the opportunity to serve Christ? Well, what about the patient before us. Should we not than leave each encounter with a patient full of gratitude that we have been blessed to minister to Christ?
Characters
So now that we have seen the context, let’s look at the characters. If we look closely at the parable, we see that we have 7 different characters, of course the victim and the robbers, the priests and the Levite, the Good Samaritan, as well as the animal, and the inn keeper. If we look closely at each of these characters, we come to see that Jesus uses each of them to teach us an important lesson and perhaps challenge us to see how we identify, for better or for worse, with them.
Victim
Let’s start with the central figure, the victim. Aren’t all your patient’s victims? Think for a moment of the power you have over them. If I cut someone open, I will be charged with a serious crime, but when you do it you are paid well. If I give someone drugs, I will be locked up as a drug dealer, but you are paid a pretty penny for it. Of course, that is because you have the knowledge and skill that I don’t have. The difference between you and I is when you prescribe a medication or cut someone open you restore them to health, whereas I would cause them harm. Thus, by the very nature of coming to visit you, your patient is in need of healing, and thus they are a victim. For as much as we like to talk about patient’s rights etc. anyone who has been around medicine knows that the patient is mostly powerless before you. He is a victim in the truest sense of the word.
Now Jesus does not tell us much about who the victim is. All we know is that he has been attacked and is left bleeding, dying, and helpless. The temptation of this parable is to see the victim in general terms, as just one victim amongst many and I think if we are honest it can be easy to see your patients in this way as well. Unless you recall what it means to be a patient, it will be very easy for you to lose sight of the victim before you. When is the last time you were a patient or when was the last time, you stopped to think about the condition of a patient. (saw this first hand earlier this week) Has it dawned on you that in order for someone to walk into your clinic, they must be vulnerable; they must humble themselves and make themselves vulnerable so that you can do what you do and restore them to wholeness. Perhaps it’s worth us contemplating what it means to be a victim, what it means to be our own patient.
While it is true, we are not told much about the victim in the parable and perhaps we could be tempted to say the character is just any ordinary victim, if we look closely we see that this is too simplistic. The victim is not just any victim, he is our victim. Pope Francis speaking to the Members of the biomedical University Foundation of the Campus of the University of Rome in 2021 reminded them that the “love for the human person, especially in their condition of frailty, in which the image of Jesus Crucified shines through, is specific to a Christian reality and must never be lost.”[7] This begs the question, do we simply classify the person before us as a patient or do we see them for who they are? The problem with categorizing is that we than very quickly lose the personal connection that allows us to see who specifically before us. When we simply see a patient as a patient they become a number, or a statistic, or an object to be treated. The victim is this parable challenges us to ask ourselves if we can see the humanity of the victim before us?
The Robbers
The robbers are interesting to consider. Did you notice how Jesus begins the parable after the robbery has already occurred and thus, we do not really know who the robbers are? I don’t know about you, but I kind of want to know the story of who they are. I want to be able to identify them, catch them, and prevent them from harming others. While this sense of justice is well placed, it only serves to distract us from the victim before us. As a healer it does not matter why the victim is before you. Whether the victim is before you are suffering the effects of a misfortune like the victim in the parable or they are before you because of their own bad choices with smoking, drugs etc., they are still the victim you are called to serve. (Story of drug taking patient) Yet there is a still a simple lesson for health care providers here. How often do you face the effects of evil, often without knowing the cause. We are called to treat the person before us, regardless of the reason they are before us. While it may be tempting to try to discover the reason for the robbery, all of that would be pure speculation, but it begs the question, do you fall into the trap of trying to find a justification of the evil before you? If so, why? Isn’t it better to thank God for the opportunity to minister to Him and move forward. Perhaps, Jesus doesn’t give us the details of the robbery to keep us from getting distracted by the crime or the thieves who committed the crime. For, while the robbers are the villain, they are not the chief villain? No, Jesus would rather us focus on those who pass by the victim rather than the one who caused the victim to be a victim.
The Priest & Levite
Now we get to those who failed in their call to be neighbor to the victim’s robber and Jesus begins with someone who we would suspect of lending the helping hand, the priest. Afterall the priest is in a vocation where undoubtably, he has done much good for others in the past. Yet, it doesn’t matter how much good we have done in the past. No, what matters is what do to the person before us. Perhaps the man passed by, because he thought the man was dead and if he touched the dead man, he would be unclean. Certainly, all of us can come up with pious excuses for why we don’t do what we should, but again the lesson is simple, there is no excuse not for acting with charity.
The Levite worked in close proximity to the Holy of Holies in the temple, where he did the dirty work in the temple of cleaning up after the sacrificed animals. While perhaps he passed by because he was not on duty and thus the victim was not his responsibility. Friends, God has given you gifts and talents, and so we never get to clock out. We see from both the Levite and priest, there is never an excuse to ignore the victim before us.
Good Samaritan
After being disappointed by the inaction of the priest and Levite, Jesus presents for us the Good Samaritan, which to the Jewish audience would have been a contradiction in terms. Recall, the story of the woman at the well, where the Samaritan said to Jesus “How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink? (For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans)”[8] This rift between the Jewish people and the Samaritans goes back centuries to the split of the nation of Israel into two kingdoms recounted in the 1st book of Kings.[9] Yet, when speaking to the Jewish people, Jesus tells a parable about how a Samaritan acts with charity when two Jewish official do not. With this context in mind, we see that our titles do not define us, but rather that we are defined by the good that we do. Look, ya’ll are medical professionals, I’m a priest, etc. but that means nothing, if we don’t use those knowledge and skills that we have been given.
What makes the Samaritan good is that he is willing to make personal sacrifices for the good of the other. While the Levite and Priest passed by because the victim was not their professional responsibility, the Good Samaritan saw the victim as His personal responsibility. His care of the victim requires the Good Samaritan to give money out of his own pocket. If we want to be “good,” we too need be willing to sacrifice our own time and energy. Yet, the physical sacrifice is not enough? What about spiritual sacrifices? Do you pray for your patients?
Animal & Inn Keeper
For as much good as the Good Samaritan does, he does not act alone. If you are honest, is the same not true in your medical practice? In his encyclical Fratelii Tuuti, Pope Francis reminds us that “we too are called to unite as a family that is stronger than the sum of small individual members.”[10] Thankfully medicine is beginning to realize this. Healing is not the endeavor of a singular person, but rather a partnership between a team of medical professions, the sick person, their family, and indeed the whole community.
Notice how the good Samaritan makes use of the tools he has at his disposal. First, he makes use of his own animal to assist him in his charity. How sad it truly is that more help is given by the animal than by the priest or Levite, but without the assistance of his animal, the Good Samaritan certainly would not have been able to offer the victim the type of treatment that he needs.
In addition to using his own means, his animal, the Samaritan seeks out a partner in the healing process by taking the victim to the inn. At the inn, the innkeeper, at personal cost to the Good Samaritan, provides all the care the victim needs. As medicine is becoming more specialized it is not uncommon for patients to ride the circuit as they are shifted from the care of one specialist to another. While this may be the best course of medical treatment, it is not an excuse for us to stop caring. No, from the moment we encounter the victim before us, we enter a relationship with them and thus have a continued obligation to them. Even when we may no longer be the specialist caring for them, do our patients remain in our prayers?
Of course, just as a doctor does not heal without the clinic so too the inn-keep does not operate without his inn. Since Catholic health care expresses the healing ministry of Christ in a specific way within the local church,[11] we can come to see the inn as the Church. Do you see your ministry as a work of the Church? How does this change the way you view your work?
Moral of the Story
So, we find ourselves, right back where we started, who was neighbor to the victim? The Jewish leaders respond correctly by saying “the one who treated him with mercy.” Yet, notice how they cannot even mention the Samaritan. Here lies the issue, the leaders treat the Samaritan an as object and not as a person. This is perhaps the biggest distinction between the Good Samaritan and the priest and Levi, namely that the Samaritan exhibited a spontaneous love that was kind, personal, and effective. My friends, it does not matter who they are, we are called to see the humanity of every person and treat them with mercy. So what about us?
Accompaniment
So, let’s begin with the original question posed by Jesus, who was the neighbor to the victim? Of course, the one who treated him with mercy. But what than is mercy? Mercy is an infesting word. It is derived from the Latin words miseria (wretchedness, misery, or affliction), and cor (heart). Thus, to have mercy for someone is to literally have a heart for the wretchedness or affliction of another. Said in another way, treating someone with mercy puts into practice the teaching of Jesus who taught “whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”[12]
This fundamental teaching of Jesus becomes the basis for one of Pope Francis’ keywords, accompaniment. Yet for as much as Pope Francis likes to use this word, he did not invent it. No, we see this act of accompaniment way back in the last chapter of St. Luke’s gospel as he walks with the apostles on the road to Emmaus. Is this not what health are professionals are called to do? Are you not called to walk with people through the ups and downs of life and in the process bring clarity and reflect the love of Christ?
The word accompaniment is derived from the combination of three Latin words ad + cum + panis, literally to share bread with, or more generally to share what is essential. This accompaniment than is not a feeling of vague compassion or a shallow distress at the misfortune of others. Accompaniment arises out of the compassion we are called to have for those who are in need. Yet, if we are going to accompany people, if we are going to share what is essential with people, we need to step back and ask what this accompaniment looks like where we are accompanying people.
To accompany someone implies that we invite them to join us on the path we are trotting. For example, I might ask you to accompany me on a trip. Notice the pre-requisite of you accompanying me. Is it not the case that if you accompany me, you will be joining me in where I am going and with the way that I am going? So than when we accompany our neighbors, we are asking them to join us on the journey. This than begs the question, where are you going? Where are you inviting people to accompany you to?
If we were pressed for an answer, I would hope that all of us would say that we are journeying towards eternal life. Well than, if we are going to accompany those in need, we are going to invite them to join us on that journey to heaven. This does not have to be complicated; it can be as simply as the witness of what we do. Perhaps there are chances where we can, without coercion have small moments to share our faith or simply pray with those who come before us.
If we are inviting others to accompany us to heaven, then we need to take to heart the words of Jesus who taught “whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”[13] Friends, we all know the two great commandments, love God above all things and love our neighbor as ourself.[14] Don’t forget that Jesus gave us the parable of the Good Samaritan in response to this question, “teacher what must I do to attain eternal life”[15] and when the legal scholar responded with these two great commandments Jesus reassured him “you have answered correctly; do this and you will live.”[16]
If we want to live, we must love God by loving our neighbor, but love is lived out in concrete ways through our thoughts, words, and actions. Said in another way, if we want to live, we must be altruistic, we must live for others. In commenting on this passage, Martin Luther King Jr. said “indeed, the Samaritan was great because he made the first law of his life not self-preservation but other preservation.”[17] So what about us? Why do you do what you do?
Of course, as we just celebrated a couple of weeks ago, there is no glory of Easter Sunday without the trial of Good Friday. If we are going to accompany people to eternal life, then we need to accompany them to the cross. Isn’t it true that as medical providers you live at the foot of the cross. It than begs the question, will you be like St. John and the Blessed Mother or like the other followers of Christ who ran away from the suffering? Perhaps your role is more like that of St. Simone of Cyrene who came into the picture briefly to offer his assistance to Christ and then faded out of the picture. Friends, might I propose this is one of the most beautiful graces of the practice of medicine? While we could do a whole day of recollection around this idea, for now it is worth quoting Pope St. John Paul II, who in commenting on the parable of the Good Samaritan said “this parable witnesses to the fact that Christ’s revelation of the salvific meaning of suffering is in no way identified with an attitude of passivity. Completely the reverse is true.”[18]
My friends no matter how challenging life gets, we cannot forget the words of St. Paul that “we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but one who has been tested in every way, yet without sin.”[19] At its core then, if we are going to accompany the patient before us we must recall that Calvary is the highest point in the world, from which we can see everything with new eyes, the eyes of faith, love and martyrdom, the eyes of Christ”[20] In all that you do, you are blessed to lead people through the cross to life. Now isn’t that true healing!
And so, we come full circle. Remember that the parable of the Good Samaritan was given in response to a question each of us should ask, “teacher what must I do to inherit eternal life.”[21] The parable comes in the context of a victim who was coming down from Jerusalem to Jericho. Well than no matter where we are on the journey, we are called to become that good Samaritan, to pick up the victim before us, lead them to the Church and accompany them on our shared path back to the eternal city the eternal Jerusalem.
[1] Lk 10:25
[2] Mt 25:40
[3] Lk 10:37
[4] Benedict XVI, Encyclical Letter Deus Caritas Est (25 December 2005), 15: AAS 98 (2006), 230.
[5] Prefact of Easter III
[6] 1 Cor 2:3
[7] Pope Francis, Address to Members of the Biomedical University Foundation of the Campus Biomedico University of Rome. October 18, 2021. Accessible at https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2021/october/documents/20211018-biomedical-univ-foundation.html
[8] John 4:0
[9] 1 Kings 12-16
[10] Fratelli Tutti par 78
[11] ERD pg 7
[12] Mt 25:40
[13] Matthew 5:19
[14] Luke 10:27
[15] Luke 10:25
[16] Luke 10:28
[17] Martin Luther King Jr. Draft of Chapter III, “On Being a Good Neighbor”
[18] Pope St. John Paul II, Salvifici doloris, on the Christian meaning of human suffering. Par 30.
[19] Hebrews 4:15
[20] Robert Cardinal Sarah, God or Nothing, A Conversation on Faith with Nicolas Diat. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2016. Pg 25
[21] Mark 10:25
Through The Cross To Light 