- But what if I go into debt?
- This could be a trap.
- If I bring her into my home, will we be safe?
- What if there’s corruption?
Yet what sounds like the voice of wisdom, is actually the voice of fear.
I’m joined by Amy DiMarcangelo for a conversation about a man who wanted Jesus to give him a thin list of neighbors to love. But instead, Jesus invites the man—and us—into the story of “The Good Samaritan,” where mercy is both risky and good.
Guest: Amy DiMarcangelo
Bible Passage: Luke 10:25-37 – The Parable of the Good Samaritan
Get your Freebie: The Live Like It’s True Workbook
Mentioned Resources
- Go and Do Likewise: A Call to Follow Jesus in a Life of Mercy and Mission by Amy DiMarcangelo
- The Pour Over News Source
- Ministries of Mercy by Tim Keller
Transcript
Resound Media: www.ResoundMedia.cc
Music: Cade Popkin
Amy DiMarcangelo
Amy DiMarcangelo is the author of Go and Do Likewise: A Call to Follow Jesus in a Life of Mercy and Mission and A Hunger for More: Finding Satisfaction in Jesus When the Good Life Doesn’t Fill You. She is also a graduate student at Westminster Theological Seminary and lives in New Jersey with her husband and three children.
Website: equippedformercy.com
Instagram: AmyDiMarcangelo
The Genius of Stories
Jesus is having a conversation with a man who wants Jesus to pull in the borders around who he claims as “neighbors.” He wants a list of neighbors that is short; a list that’s easy to check off, so that he can say, “I’m a good neighbor.”
In response, Jesus doesn’t argue for wider borders or a longer list of neighbors; instead he responds to the man with a story. It’s because stories often accomplish what facts cannot.
When we are presented with the facts, we can respond objectively as an outsider, looking in. We can make “wise,” calculated decisions which protect ourselves from risk. Yet, when a story is told, we can’t help but step inside it. And when we do, it’s natural to cast ourselves as the hero. We say, “Ah… that’s the good guy. He’s just like me.”
But Jesus uses the element of surprise and makes a Samaritan the hero of his story. Jews hated the Samaritans, and so this lawyer is going to have to look elsewhere to find himself in the story. He doesn’t want to be the priest or the Levite; those are the bad guys. So the obvious choice is to see himself as the guy who’s bleeding and bruised in the middle of the road.
Now, why would Jesus want the lawyer to see himself as this man? It’s because when you’re the one who is hurt, broke, and bleeding that’s when you’d prefer your list of merciful neighbors to be a little longer. See how Jesus accomplished the task of making the man’s list of neighbors longer.
The next time you see a picture of someone who is in desperate need of mercy—maybe a photo of a Compassion International Child or a photo captured by a journalist in a war torn country—rather than rationalizing why that person is outside the boundary of your neighbors, take a moment and put yourself in their story. See yourself as the one who has been ambushed by life, and left bloodied and bruised on the side of the road.
From there, once the tears form in your eyes, ask Jesus the question, “Is this my neighbor?”
