New Testament Commentary

“Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?”  Luke 10:36  NASB

Proved to be – It’s a matter of DNA.  Spiritual DNA, in this case.  You would know that if you read the Greek text.  The choice for the verb here is ginomai, a verb we find in translation as “to be born,” “birth,” “kind (family),” and “fruit.”  The text is Greek but the idiom is Hebraic.  Yeshua says, “Which of these three became, showed himself to be, exhibited the fruit, the disposition, the qualities of being a neighbor?”  The legal expert answers correctly.  The one who demonstrated godly behavior toward the injured man.  We have all heard sermons based on this story exhorting us to act with compassion toward others, to take the risk of helping, to be good neighbors.  But what we might not have noticed is the commentary on the Tanakh resident in this story.

Hesed describes God’s character.  By now you must be familiar with its four elements:  reciprocity, transitivity, obligation and community.  But when Yeshua gave us this parable, He enlarged the meaning of this critical word.  The good Samaritan demonstrates more than compassion and mercy.  He demonstrates hesed – hesed to one who had NO prior relationship of community!  The injured man did nothing to deserve rescue.  The injured man provided no reason for these acts of kindness and compassion.  In fact, the injured man doesn’t even respond to the good will of the Samaritan.  But that doesn’t stop the Samaritan from acting as God would act.  The good Samaritan acts benevolently because he desires to do so.  He of all people is free to pass by.  He of all people has no obligation to this victim.  And yet he acts.  He acts because he identifies with the humanity of the victim.  He acts because his spiritual DNA has the hesed gene.  He acts because He must!

This parable is not simply about the need for compassion and good will.  It is a remarkable extension of the idea of hesed in the Tanakh.  Every Jew knew that YHWH obligated Himself to rescue and deliver those in covenant relationship, but no one could have imagined that God would help an outsider.  The parable turns this entire notion on its head.  It is the outsider who rescues.  It is the outsider who demonstrates hesed DNA, who shows himself to be a son of the Father.  In fact, God is the outsider.  His covenant with Israel is not based on Israel’s worthiness.  It is based entirely on God’s decision, just as the Samaritan’s mercy is based entirely on personal decision.  God shows mercy on those whom He chooses to show mercy, and in this parable, as represented by the Samaritan, God shows mercy on anyone He wishes to.  Even the covenant relationship does not prevent God from bursting the expected boundaries. It is His covenant, not ours.  We are merely the beneficiaries of His good will.

Perhaps we need to re-read the parable of the Good Samaritan.  Perhaps we need to reassess our exercise of compassion and mercy, our demonstration of hesed.  Far too often the Church is filled with those who qualify for phileo love – the love of like-minded, comfortable compatriots.  Hesed challenges us to break those artificial bonds.  What message of God’s grace do we send to a hurting world when we love those who love us?  Do we prove ourselves to be godly neighbors?  If hesed is the summary of God’s action toward His enemies, does it describe our actions too?

Topical Index:  hesed, ginomai, proved to be, compassion, mercy, Samaritan, Luke 10:36