Fifteenth Sunday Ordinary Time
Rev. Thomas Kuffel
Victimhood rules because evil reigns. Evil, those acts that miss the mark and treat others unjustly, cause devastation and dehumanization. The source of evil comes not from individuals who victimize their victims, but from evil himself, Lucifer. He is the source and cause of evil in our world. He inspires evil and seduces others to act evilly. Evil doers think they are entitled and so abuse and attack others to gain their ill-gotten portion. How sad!
Victimhood is indiscriminate as Lucifer respects no one, not even himself. He has no prejudice, nor any racial agenda. His sole agenda is to cause evil, making us either victims or victimizers.
Victims come from every walk of life. Nations, cultures, creeds, and individuals suffer at the hands of evil doers because others demand selfishly that their needs and wants be satisfied. Yet, when a person suffers and becomes a victim, he easily thinks he is targeted. He becomes the victim because of some discrimination, bias, or prejudice. Sadly, in the end everyone suffers victimhood. Those who suffer accusing others of targeting and those who attack causing damage are pawns in Lucifers plan to diminish humanity. Truth be told, everyone suffers victimhood, and everyone victimizes. The Good Samaritan Parable, with all its characters, reveals this tension.
The man who fell into the hands of the robbers is the victim. The robbers obviously victimized the man. Both suffered evil. The man suffered at the hands of evil doers. The evil doers suffered at the hands of Lucifer. However, what about the Priest and the Levite? Did not they also victimize the man and, in another sense, did they not also become victims?
Blaming and condemning others for poor behavior targets those who neglect their responsibilities. Those who blame and condemn victimize. Easily the Levite and the Priest become targets of accusation. Yet, the Parable never condemns them. It is assumed. Yet assumptions are dangerous. No one knows the real reason they walked past. Could it have been that they were traumatized and could not respond? Or were they afraid that they too maybe robbed? We claim they walked on because they did not want to be defiled. Yet, other reasons, legitimate ones, could exist that prevented them from acting. The text does not give enough information. More importantly, the purpose of the Parable is not necessarily to condemn the Priest and the Levite, as hypocrites. Rather it answers the question who is my neighbor?
Who is my neighbor was a debated question at that time. Some of course thought my neighbors were my family and tribesmen. They had to belong to the house of Israel and “be sons of your own people” (Lev 19:18). Neighbor, then, could be exclusive or inclusive. That was the debate. Jesus settles the question informing the Scholar that neighbor is inclusive not exclusive to one’s family or tribe.
The robbers were obviously victimizers but asking why they were robbing, begs another question. Was the robbed man innocent? Or was he himself a victimizer and the robbers were vigilantes seeking revenge?
A host of scenarios comes from the parable creating different answers, making us think rather than just judge. This is the purpose of parables. They create dilemmas which make us ponder what the true meaning of the parable is. In reality, the parable has many meanings, but the obvious answers come from Jesus.
Notice that the Scholar does not ask are you saved, rather he asks, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 10 25). The question is revealing. Jesus asks him, How do you read it? In other words, what is your interpretation of the law? The Scholar answers: love the Lord with all your heart, being, strength, and mind. Jesus responds telling him He agrees and if you do this you will have eternal life.
Modern scholars want to know if we are saved. However, Scripture never asks this question. The real question concerns what must I do to have eternal life, not am I saved or not. As the Church teaches, we are all saved. Everyone receives sufficient grace for salvation. No one is exempt from this (1 Tim 2:45; GS # 45). Sadly, not everyone accepts or acts upon this grace.
Love acts. It responds to what we know to be true. If love means to act using your mind and will as well as your strength and being, then eternal life comes from acting out of love, not just believing you are saved. The actions I perform reveals that the law is not something I believe in but something that disciplines my actions. In other words, knowing and even loving the Lord is not enough. Love God with your mind and will means to know God’s will and choose to act accordingly. Moreso, love with all your strength and your being includes using our physical resources as well as our total self. It is a total self-offering which declares that faith is not exclusive but includes works of love done to our neighbor out of love for God—not self.
Second, the Scholar believes in the resurrection as he asks what must I do to inherit eternal life. This too was a debated question as to whether the resurrection of the body was orthodox. Jesus accepts this insight and merely goes on to explain that love of God includes everyone, including one’s enemies, the Samaritans.
Finally, the Scholar is concerned about Jesus’ orthodoxy. He wants to test Jesus and engage Him in that heated debate concerning neighborly love. Is it exclusive or inclusive? Jesus answers, exposing the controversy as the Scholar was provoking Jesus because He was teaching many disciples though He did not have any authority or training. Plus, Jesus’ teaching challenged the authority and the orthodoxy of the established teachings. He was offering new insights that provoked change. More importantly, He demanded transformative love, not just legal observance.
Yet, the most important question arises asking who is the man robbed? Hardly anyone comments about him. Yet, as St. Augustine reveals he is Adam, the man who fell victim to the victimizer, Lucifer because he was going down to Jericho, hell, instead of going up to Jerusalem, heaven. In reality, the man represents everyone. We all have fallen short of the glory of God, whether Jew or Samaritan (Rom 3:23). No one is without sin and everyone needs salvation.
Since everyone is a sinner, every one of us suffers from sin. Moreover, we cause sin too. We are both victims and victimizers. No one is exempt. Sometimes we suffer at the hands of others, even cruelly. Other times we hurt others, sometimes brutally, because we are fallen. In other words, no one should attack another when they fail. Correct them with charity. So too, no one should wallow in their pain, feeling victimized, but look for someone to support and raise them up. In fact, we all need a Savior and the traditional understanding holds, Jesus is the Good Samaritan Who stoops down, cleanses our wounds, lifts us up, brings us to a place of refuge to heal, for He pays the price of our redemption.