The tragic murder of Kitty Genovese in Queens NY in 1964 shocked the nation. She was stabbed by a man in front of her apartment in three separate encounters, with neighbors turning on their lights and one man calling out to challenge her assailant. But not one of the 38 witnesses of the various attacks came out to help her when she cried for help, or call the police until after the fatal third encounter. This encounter became symbolic of the indifference marking the decline in national character.
Jesus illustrated the theme with His parable of the Good Samaritan when His authority was challenged by an expert in Mosaic Law. In the subsequent dialog, Jesus praised the scholar because of his understanding of the essence of the Law, correctly citing Deuteronomy 6. But the scholar’s ignorance of the extent of the Law was revealed when he followed up by asking Jesus who was ‘his neighbor.’ His question was based on his incomplete understanding of Leviticus 19, but had he read fully, he would have understood God’s pronouncement that foreigners, immigrants and sojourners in Israel were to be treated as neighbors.
Jesus’ story of the Good Samaritan was loaded with racial, ethnic and religious implications. The tale begins with a crime scene along the Road to Jericho, a known scene of crime and violence. The scholar’s blindness in identifying the Samaritan as his neighbor was probably due to ethnic bias. At that time, the Samaritans and Israelites had nothing to do with each other, with the Israelites worshipping in the Temple at Jerusalem with their priests, and the Samaritans worshipping in their temple in northern Israel with their own priests. The scholar’s expectations that the priest and Levite in Jesus’ parable would do the right thing and care for the victim. Instead, they avoid him, walking on the other side of the road. The despised Samaritan also does not respond as expected, but instead treats the victim with care and compassion, taking care of him and taking him to an inn, paying for further treatment. Christ showed that the Samaritan was not only a neighbor to the victim, but demonstrated himself to be a friend of God, and as one who had inherited eternal life. The Word of God clearly states that someone has racial bigotry, hatred for other ethnicities, then they have not inherited eternal life. God sent His Son to die for the sins of the whole world. Don’t ask who is my neighbor, but simply be a neighbor; be a healer, be generous and merciful.