Caring for Strangers

There’s a funny twist after Jesus’ command to love our neighbors. The religious expert asks a follow-up question: And who is my neighbor? The text says he was trying to justify himself, checking the limit: Must I love people three houses down, or only two?

But instead of giving a straightforward answer, Jesus tells a story.

Instead of offering limits, Jesus throws open the definition of neighbor.

In Jesus’ story, a man was traveling on a road that was notoriously dangerous, but necessary to get from one city to the next. Sure enough, the man was attacked, robbed, and beaten. He was left on the ground, nearly dead.

Fortunately, three men journeyed by. The first two were priests and clergy. You would think that they, of all people, would know the compassionate heart of God, the command to love each other, to care for strangers. You would think they would stop and help.

But no. They hurried by.

The third man who came along stopped, risking his own safety to help, taking the dying man to a place where he could find safety and care. He even paid for the expense himself.

Now, here’s the scandalous part of the story: this stranger was a Samaritan. This meant he was both a heretic and an enemy. These were the “bad guys.” And yet because the Samaritan treated a stranger in need with compassionate, sacrificial care, Jesus said that he—the enemy and heretic—was the one who pleased God.

The religious expert was looking for a definition of neighbor, a limit to whom he had to care for and still please God, still gain eternal life. But Jesus said, “Care for anyone you encounter in need, no matter how dangerous it might be for you, no matter how much of a sacrifice.”

God’s law had always instructed God’s people to care for stranger and foreigners. Yet in Jesus time—and in our time—strangers could be dangerous. We’re more likely to fear and resist strangers coming to our country and communities than we are to love and welcome them, to care for them sacrificially—aren’t we?

How can our Christian practice today align with God’s command that we love and care for strangers? What can you, your family, or your church do to help “strangers” in your community?