Monday October 9, 2017
Did Jesus answer the question—“who is my neighbor (that I may love him as myself)?”—that the teacher of the Law had thrown at him? Not really. Because, according to the story that followed, it was the Samaritan who played the neighbor to the wounded Jew. The questioner was thinking it should be those who help me in my need (and thus become my neighbors) that I should love! But Jesus delivers an unexpected punch line instead and orders the teacher of the Law: “Go then and do the same (as the Samaritan did).” Thus, Jesus unequivocally tells him that he should become neighbor to the needy people around instead of looking for neighborly people to love. Here’s an Arab fable:
A man once saw a fox that had lost its legs, but was fed daily by a tiger. The tiger would eat its game, and leave portions of it for the fox to feed on. He marveled at the ways of the Lord and thought: “I too shall lie down at home and trust God to provide me everything I need.” So he did. Days passed by, but no one turned up at his door to feed him. When he complained to the Lord, the Lord replied: “You fool! Imitate the tiger, not the fox!”