The Good Samaritan and the Good Enough Priest: A Parable Revisited

Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and took off, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.” Luke 10:30-31

By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians, 5:22-23a (emphasis added)

This quoted scripture from Luke is part of a familiar longer piece from what is well known as the parable of the Good Samaritan. The story goes on to report that after the priest, a Levite (called a “temple assistant” in the New Living Translation) also passed by the broken and beaten man. Finally, Jesus describes the movements of the third passerby, a Samaritan man who takes pity on the victim, stops, and offers care and hospitality that extends beyond the immediate situation. The Samaritan is contrasted with the Jewish holy men as someone who, though he is of a marginalized community compared with the favored high status of the priest and Levite, takes the time to show compassion when they don’t. Jesus offered this parable or lesson to all of us who wonder if our neighbor is only the person who attends the same church, has the same customs, or even the one who looks like us.

The core message of Jesus’ lesson is one we learn as children: Jesus wants us to be kind to all people because everyone is our neighbor. Then why does my own story too often look more like the priest or the Levite than the Samaritan who is good and hospitable? Why have I walked across the street to avoid a stranger who needs help, or ignored the person who lives on my block to avoid getting involved?? As the apostle Paul say, “I want to do what is good, but I don’t” (Romans 7:19, NLT). We don’t often get the chance to rescue a victim off the road. But almost daily, if not weekly, we have the opportunity to offer a small kindness to make a difference in someone’s life. And sometimes we just don’t.

Why does my own story too often look more like the priest or the Levite than the Samaritan who is good and hospitable?

We Can Pray

However, I believe we do what we can do. That’s why I am inviting us to come closer and get inside the story of the good Samaritan. The De Pree Center offers us the practice of imaginative prayer, designed to draw us to the heart of the lesson and to our own hearts as we seek to recognize the small acts of kindness we do perform and have compassion for ourselves when we look away. Maybe we aren’t rescuing a homeless person from the street or finding the cure for cancer, but through using our imagination to enter into a time of playful prayer, we can energize our prayer lives and grow as disciples of Christ.

The De Pree Center writes, “Imaginative prayer is an Ignatian practice that involves reading a Gospel story with the intent of placing yourself in the story and imagining how you would participate in it as it unfolds in your imagination.” When I take the time through imaginative prayer to place myself in the priest’s place, I feel more understanding of his perspective. And I also have compassion for myself for times when I have crossed the street to avoid getting involved. Imaginative prayer is my gateway to growing as a prayer activist while reframing how I think about kindness.

Imaginative prayer is my gateway to growing as a prayer activist while reframing how I think about kindness.

So, let’s step into our imaginative prayer frame and look at the priest as if he were us. People tend to condemn the priest’s behavior without considering his situation when he walked by the injured man. Some scriptural commentaries point out that neither the priest nor the Levite could touch the wounded man without becoming unclean and having to take the time to return to Jerusalem and cleanse themselves again (requiring another week, including travel time).

But, maybe Jesus added the priest and Levite to the story not only as a contrast to the Samaritan, but as a mirror to us. The priest and Levite, being religious leaders, automatically become villains because we have high expectations of them because of their roles. And yet they fall short, especially compared to the good Samaritan who, though marginal and despised, is praised not because of who he is but because of what he does: demonstrating kindness to a stranger. Maybe we have the same high expectations for ourselves and expect unlimited kindness towards others because of who we are and despite our own circumstances.

We don’t know what the priest had going on that day. Maybe the day before he would have reached out to the wounded man and offered hospitality and kindness, but today something happened that left him needing help. Or possibly, his focus was on a broken relationship, a situation that had gone unexpectedly wrong, or maybe he was just exhausted from his obligations. Regardless of whether it was his personal experiences or his priestly expectations that led him to cross the road to not be bothered, this is our opportunity to offer kindness and compassion to the priest who is also our neighbor (and also to ourselves). Also, if I’m honest, his behavior is an opportunity for me to examine my own.

Insights from Imaginative Prayer

Through placing myself in the priest’s role, I realized that when he missed an opportunity to help his neighbor, he also missed helping himself.

Through placing myself in the priest’s role, I realized that when he missed an opportunity to help his neighbor, he also missed helping himself.

Kindness is mutually beneficial and can be impactful even in small acts. There are many resources that describe the health benefits of showing kindness. Harvard Medicine in the article, “The Health Benefits of Kindness,” reports that by offering kindness, we have better health: lower blood pressure, improved mental health, and more of the “feel good” chemical called dopamine.  Additionally, “Emerging evidence suggests that good deeds can become etched into our bodies, including the cardiovascular system—and that our hearts and our health benefit when we are kind to others.”

In his article, “A Little Kindness Goes A Long Way,” Mark Roberts recounts a story of a kindness from a stranger that is etched into his memory decades later. He says, “For some reason, when she told me things would get better, I believed her. And, indeed, God had already blessed me through her because of her wonderful [kind words].”

Indeed, a little kindness does go a long way. Recently, I took a trip to visit a friend, and while in the airport discovered that the charger cord I brought would not fit in the slots designed to charge phones. My phone was at 3% and I began to panic. I noticed a store that had a section of phone accessories. I selected a new cord, noticed it was $35, but felt I had no choice. Dgeneba Keita, the cashier, was very patient and kind as I figured out if this cord would work. The manager, Keith Lewis, weighed in and alerted me to look for the blue lighted port because not all the ports at the Gate worked. So, I tried out my new cord and discovered it didn’t work either. Both of them promptly refunded my money and Dgeneba helped me continue to weigh my options. Then a customer came in who overheard our conversation and said I could use his charger plug, which solved my problem. I happily boarded my continuing flight, confident I could call my Uber when I arrived at my destination. Small kindnesses, yes! But, big payoff for me. One of my rescuers said, “We’ve all been where you are!” Right! That is what prompts us to do what we can—our shared experiences and challenges that transform us.

Being kind to others includes being kind and compassionate to ourselves. Michaela O’Donnell, Executive Director at the De Pree Center, states in her video “Seeking the Best for Others: A Fruit Bearing Practice,” “a lot of [growth] happens in reflection. . . and we believe that God is at work growing people and forming people.” Just because on a particular day I am the priest, does not mean I am not the good Samaritan on another day. Or even when the priest overtakes my spirit, it does not mean I cannot be redeemed and forgiven. I accept that I did what I could, the priest did what he could, and the good Samaritan did what he could. Our “good” looks different depending on the day, but we continue to grow and be transformed through our acts of kindness.