July 14, 2019
Readings:
First Reading: Deuteronomy 30: 10-14
Psalm: 69 “Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.”
Second Reading: Colossians 1: 15-20
Gospel reading according to Luke 10:
25-37
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Homily:
One of those sitting in the group and
who were listening to Jesus teaching on eternal life was a scribe. “There
was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said, ‘Teacher, what
must I do to inherit eternal life?’” (Luke 10: 25). He cannot prolong the discourse of Jesus any
longer. He would like to bat in to show
his knowledge on the topic discussed by Jesus.
Aside from his all-knowing tendency and proud heart, he really wanted to
know who this Jesus was so he can discredit him. Was he a true prophet, a teacher and an expert
of the Law like him? Where did he get
this knowledge, or who gave this talent to him, for he was so good, more than
expert of the Law and the Prophets? He
cannot defeat him, so he tried to test his capacity, his knowledge, his
understanding of the Law and the Prophets.
He asked an ethical question, a moral question about inheriting eternal
life. We, too, would like to know how to
have eternal life, or to go to eternal life, or what is eternal life, a
question as old as the created world and all that it contained, which this
scribe, a scholar of the Law, made easy for us by asking Jesus this eternal
question on life.
Jesus knew who was asking, and he knew
the intention of the scholar of the Law, that he was being tested as a teacher
but he took it as an opportunity to preach to other listeners (maybe to other
scribes present there also) and to his disciples. As a true teacher, he put an answer according
to what condition, or status, or occupation of the one asking question. “Jesus
said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? How do you read it?’” (Luke 10:
26). As a true teacher, Jesus also asked
question that was familiar to the scribe, about the written Law of Moses. What the Law of Moses the scribe knew with
regards to the eternal life, of which the scribe perfectly answered. “He
said in reply, ‘You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with
all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your
neighbor as yourself’’.” (Luke 10: 27).
The scholar of the Law quoted the Books of Moses, from the Deuteronomy
which talks about the love of God, “love
the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your
strength, and with all your mind” (Deut. 6: 4), and Leviticus which talks
about love of neighbor as to oneself, “and
your neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19: 18).
These two cover the whole Law and the Prophets, but the Jews in general
and the scribes in particular only made these two by lip service and
memorization. The scribes and all Jews
were so familiar with these commandments for from childhood to adulthood, they
were taught these in their homes, in the synagogues, in schools, and in the
Temple, and in everyday of their lives. They are very familiar with these
commandments. They knew it by heart.
What was lacking is in doing, in action,
which Jesus gave emphasis.. “He replied
to him, ‘You have answered correctly, do this and you will live” (Luke 10:
28). He taught the scribe not only to memorize
it but to do something about it in order to live eternal life. “Sobra sa salita, kulang sa gawa,” more
talks, less action. Jesus wants us to do
the opposite, more actions/works, less talk, and “do this.”
Maybe the ego of that scribe was touched
(nahipo, nasaling, tinamaan), affected,
upset, and he felt hurt for he was put to shame; so he would like to get even (makaganti) to Jesus, for he and the rest
of the scribes were experts of the Books of Moses, especially the Law (Torah) and
they alone are holy (sila lang ang banal
at wala ng iba), righteous and obedient to God’s laws (?) (or men’s law). “But because he wished to justify himself, he
said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’” (Luke 10: 29). Maybe he was
blushed when he asked Jesus about neighbor.
Another saying to think about by us.
The scribe made this question for us – who is/are my neighbors? Or we
can ask, what is a neighbor to neighbors? And how to become a neighbor to
neighbors? These require again ethical
answers or moral actions.
A wonderful parable was given by Jesus
in explaining and applying on how to become a neighbor to others. He gave and taught the Parable of the Good
Samaritan. “Jesus replied, ‘A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from
Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and
beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.
A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he
passed by on the opposite side. Likewise
a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite
side. But a Samaritan traveler who came
upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine
over his wounds and bandaged them. Then
he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn and cared for him. The next day he took two silver coins and
gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, ‘Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you,
I shall repay you on my way back’.’”
(Luke 10: 30-36).
I see also in this parable a similar
incident happened last June 9, when the Chinese militia vessel that Duterte
called them “friends” rammed our Filipino fishermen’s boat, and afterwards they
left behind our Filipino fishermen drowning in the Recto Bank, fortunately
there was a Vietnamese boat (the good Samaritans) that rescued our Filipino
fishermen.
In this parable Jesus used two kinds of
Jews, the first ones were the righteous, holy servants in the Temple – the
Priest and Levite, and the other was the Samaritan. On the one hand, the priests and levites
washed clean their hands from any spotted dirt before and after they perform
their tasks in the Temple as one reason for avoiding the man lying half dead,
for they were afraid that they might stain their hands if they touched
especially a dead corpse; in that case they cannot perform their functions for
a week or so, thus when they saw the presumed dead man lying on the street going to Jericho,
though they were finished their obligations in the Temple, for they were going
also to Jericho from Jerusalem, meaning they came from Jerusalem as priest and
levite who received and offered from Jewish people sacrifices and purification for
their sins and the sins of many. This
indicated that maybe they performed already their functions as priest and the
other as levite, when they passed by a half-dead, naked and wounded man who
fell on the hands of the robbers. Another reason why they just passed on the
opposite side and did not touch the man was because they were afraid that this
man, with other companions hiding, was pretending dead but he and the others were
intended to rob any who pass along that road.
And another reason, if the man was truly dead, they did not like to
be disturbed and involved themselves in that incident. “Wala silang pakialam.”
On the other hand, here came also another
Jew, but a Samaritan Jew, one who was despised by his brother Jews for he inter-married
with a gentile, worshiping pagan gods and True God, with their own Temple in
Gerizim, called half-Jew, impure, and all curses against the Samaritans. But this hated Samaritan, when he saw the
half-dead, naked and wounded man, he did not think that this man was a Jew, one
of their enemies, should receive his hatred and retaliation for making them outcasts in the Jewish community that’s why they cannot worship in Jerusalem
Temple, but instead he saw a man, a human being who needed immediate care/first
aide, whom he can help him survive, a man who needed support and assistance. He was not afraid to extend his hands to that
victim; that he did not think that he will be contaminated when he touches the
half-dead man and put him in his lap to reach and clean the wounds. Rather, he dressed up the wound after pouring
him oil and wine. Afterward, he took him
to inn, and for few days he took care and waited on him, and before he left he
gave enough money to the innkeeper and he promised that he will repay him for
the extra expenses he incurred when he comes back. He was not afraid to spend much money and
effort in helping this victim until he recovers.
Jesus concluded his parable by showing
not who my neighbor is but how to become a neighbor to others, not only in loving God and
neighbors in words but in deed. “Which of
these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim? He answered, ‘The one who treated him with
mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise’.” (Luke 10: 37). The Samaritan, or any man and woman, did what
he is supposed to do, not because of religion and beliefs, not of race or
tongue or nation, and not because of culture, but because we love God and our
neighbors as we love ourselves. Our neighbors
are extensions of ourselves. When we do
good to others, we do it to ourselves.
We also benefited of what we have done good to others. Therefore, do the same what the good Samaritan did.
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