Lectionary Texts: Amos 7:7-17 or Deuteronomy 30:9-14; Psalm 82 or Psalm 25:1-10; Colossians 1:1-14; Luke 10:25-37
Reference: http://www.textweek.com/yearc/properc10.htm
Scripture Reading: Luke 10:25-37
Theological Reflection / Meditation
Exegetical reference: http://leftbehindandlovingit.blogspot.kr/
“Loving Your Neighbor, Doing Justice”
by Frank Hernando
1. The parable of the Good Samaritan is good illustration presented by Jesus to his inquirers who were coming from the well-informed class of the Jewish society in the first century Palestine. They inquired or asked how Jesus would explain his understanding of inheriting eternal life or what should people do to have a peaceful, just and meaningful relationship and co-existence with neighbors and what were the requisites of experiencing or attaining it. The manner of asking was phrased in such a way that puts one into a test or ridicule. The people who asked Jesus the question were teachers of the Jewish law and not classified as modern day attorneys. For sure they knew very well the answer to their question. But why bother asking somebody else who they think had less knowledge of the Jewish laws than they do? Readers of the this narrative can sense the manner of asking that condescend Jesus.
2. Jesus, upon hearing the question, responded by asking what he read from the Scripture and he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus, affirmed the answer and said, “do this and you shall live.” The next question came from the teachers of the law, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus answered by telling a parable of the good Samaritan. After the telling of the parable, Jesus asked the teacher of the law, “Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
3. In the parable, we read that there was a man travelling down Jericho and he was robbed, beaten and left half-dead by the robbers. Then a priest passed by and saw the victim, but did not lift a finger to help the victim. Next a levite, a student of the Jewish law passed by the same road but aware of his limitations and legal-religious prohibitions also did not bother to help the victim. But when a Samaritan passed the road, he had compassion on the victim, got off his animal, and gave first-aid treatment on his wounds and transported him to an inn where the victim could rest and taken cared of, left some money as payment for the incurred room expense.
4. The emphasis of this parable is the acting out of the Shamai or the summary of the Jewish law, which every Jew should remember by heart, the love of God with one’s heart, soul, strength and mind and the love for neighbor as one would love oneself. Jesus led the inquiry of the teacher of the law into the broader understanding of neighborliness within the ethical expectations of the Shemai, that of the possibility that compassion transcends or goes beyond ethnic, religious and other boundaries. The Jews especially those who lived in Jerusalem could have looked down on Samaritans for their mixed cultural background and their religious background was not as pure as those in Jerusalem. In contemporary social life in many countries around the world, cultural prejudices abound and to varying extent antagonism on other cultures exist. The word xenophobia comes into view. The word means the fear of people from other culture or of things that are foreign to one’s native culture.
5. I was requested by a researcher to share perspective of xenophobia in South Korea as experienced by migrant workers from the Philippines. The following was my explanation:
As I know all foreign migrant workers have experienced in varying levels and forms of xenophobia in South Korea and the Filipinos are not an exception. What foreign migrant workers from other countries, like Bangladesh, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and others have experienced, the same is true with Filipinos.
The extent of xenophobia is heightened among foreign migrant workers who have darker skin colors because they are easily identified, discriminated and are perceived by Koreans as coming from very poor economic and social background. Koreans perceived that foreign migrant workers are here in Korea to earn handsome wages which cannot be attained in their home countries. Filipino migrant workers consider verbal and physical abuse and sexual advances or harassments as manifestation of xenophobia, which a significant number of Korean employers, factory managers (sajang, bujang, kungjangjang) and co-workers have inflicted on them.
I think xenophobia includes inhuman treatment or violations of labor and human rights of migrant workers, such as, delayed and non-payment of wages, extended working hours (10-12) hours per day, restricted day-off (24 hours per week), others may not have at all, exposure to dangerous working conditions or not using safety gears and non-compliance of Labor Standards Law, the EPS Law and lack of social protection of the families of migrant workers. Also, the conduct of clampdown and deportation of non-document migrant workers is a very clear picture of the exploitative nature of employing the labor of migrant workers.
6. Neighborliness as Jesus explained is to be compassionate that entails doing justice to people we looked down or considered unwanted but inevitably needed to be around and contributes to the welfare and good of the community. Christians have the ethical responsibility to overcome xenophobia and transform or change exploitative structures into accepting, just and loving fellowship, with this eternal life or the kingdom of heaven is not far from being realized in our midst. +
Guide Questions:
1. What does it mean to love God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind?
2. How do you help eliminate cultural prejudices in your community.
3. What are the best practices of compassion, empathy and solidarity in your community?
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