My dear brother:
After my bombardment with historical messages, which surely will not seem
interesting to many, but which are also
necessary for a better understanding of what Jesus did and said, we will be
focus on the parable of the "Good
Samaritan."
First, I want you to write down, what the Gospel according to Luke informs us,
the only gospel wherein this episode is
described.
Once one of the experts in the Law stood up to test him and said, "Master, what
must I do to be sure of eternal
life?”
"What does the Law say and what has your reading taught you?" said Jesus.
"The Law says, ’Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all
thy soul and with all thy strength
and with all thy mind—and thy neighbor as thyself’," he replied.
"Quite right," said Jesus. "Do that and you will live."
But the man, wanting to justify himself, continued, "But who is my ’neighbor’?"
And Jesus gave him the following reply:
"A man was once on his way down from Jerusalem to Jericho. He fell into the
hands of bandits who stripped off
his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead.
It so happened that a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him, he
passed by on the other side.
A Levite also came on the scene and when he saw him, he too passed by on the
other side.
But then a Samaritan traveler came along to the place where the man was lying,
and at the sight of him he was
touched with pity. He went across to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil
and wine. Then he put him on
his own mule, brought him to an inn and did what he could for him.
Next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the inn-keeper with the
words, ’Look after him, will you? I
will pay you back whatever more you spend, when I come through here on my
return.’
Which of these three seems to you to have been a neighbor to the bandits’
victim?"
"The man who gave him practical sympathy," he replied.
"Then you go and give the same," returned Jesus.
Very well, this is the story, the perhaps most famous parable from the whole
Bible, and so many people consider it the
parable which is easiest to interpret.
You know that the interpretation that is given to things depends on people’s
perspicacity, who interpret them. It
depends on the development of their mind and soul. Therefore, many things that
seem superficial and easy at first
glance, may be very deep, transmitting wisdom on multiple levels. Do you
remember what I have once spoken of the
bee that can distinguish "colors" and wonderful ornaments on such petals, which
for men only seem to be white? So it is
with soul perceptions. The quick and easy answer often hardly scratches the
surface of a really deep treasure.
I want to analyze with you, how this parable is related and interpreted in the
Book of Urantia. Write the text here, and I
will insert my observations. Let’s go!
Book of Urantia:
That evening a considerable company gathered about Jesus and the two apostles to
ask questions, many of
which the apostles answered, while others the Master discussed. In the course of
the evening a certain lawyer,
seeking to entangle Jesus in a compromising disputation, said: "Teacher, I would
like to ask you just what I
should do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus answered, "What is written in the law and the prophets; how do you read
the Scriptures?"
The lawyer, knowing the teachings of both Jesus and the Pharisees, answered: "To
love the Lord God with all your
heart, soul, mind, and strength, and your neighbor as yourself."
Then said Jesus: "You have answered right; this, if you really do, will lead to
life everlasting."
Judas:
“Knowing the teachings of both Jesus and the Pharisees”, of course, because the
lawyer was a Pharisee. And the answer
he gave even shows us to what fraction of this sect he belonged: What he
recited, was exactly what Hillel of Babylon had
proclaimed. «To love the Lord God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength,
and your neighbor as yourself.» That
was the whole Torah (the Law), he had taught, all the rest was just comment.
Book of Urantia:
But the lawyer was not wholly sincere in asking this question, and desiring to
justify himself while also hoping to
embarrass Jesus, he ventured to ask still another question. Drawing a little
closer to the Master, he said, "But,
Teacher, I should like you to tell me just who is my neighbor?" The lawyer asked
this question hoping to entrap
Jesus into making some statement that would contravene the Jewish law which
defined one's neighbor as "the
children of one's people." The Jews looked upon all others as "gentile dogs."
This lawyer was somewhat familiar
with Jesus' teachings and therefore well knew that the Master thought
differently; thus he hoped to lead him into
saying something which could be construed as an attack upon the sacred law.
Judas:
Sure. In the Old Testament you can read in many instances, how the Law specified
a deferential treatment between Jews
and Gentiles. What was not licit to do to a Jew could be licit to do to a
heathen.
Book of Urantia:
But Jesus discerned the lawyer's motive, and instead of falling into the trap,
he proceeded to tell his hearers a
story, a story which would be fully appreciated by any Jericho audience.
Said Jesus: "A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell
into the hands of cruel brigands,
who robbed him, stripped him and beat him, and departing, left him half dead.
Very soon, by chance, a certain
priest was going down that way, and when he came upon the wounded man, seeing
his sorry plight, he passed by
on the other side of the road. And in like manner a Levite also, when he came
along and saw the man, passed by
on the other side. Now, about this time, a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed
down to Jericho, came across this
wounded man; and when he saw how he had been robbed and beaten, he was moved
with compassion, and going
over to him, he bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine, and setting the
man upon his own beast, brought
him here to the inn and took care of him. And on the morrow he took out some
money and, giving it to the host,
said: `Take good care of my friend, and if the expense is more, when I come back
again, I will repay you.' Now let
me ask you: Which of these three turned out to be the neighbor of him who fell
among the robbers?"
And when the lawyer perceived that he had fallen into his own snare, he
answered, "He who showed mercy on
him." And Jesus said, "Go and do likewise."
The lawyer answered, "He who showed mercy," that he might refrain from even
speaking that odious word,
Samaritan. The lawyer was forced to give the very answer to the question, "Who
is my neighbor?" which Jesus
wished given, and which, if Jesus had so stated, would have directly involved
him in the charge of heresy. Jesus
not only confounded the dishonest lawyer, but he told his hearers a story which
was at the same time a beautiful
admonition to all his followers and a stunning rebuke to all Jews regarding
their attitude toward the Samaritans.
And this story has continued to promote brotherly love among all who have
subsequently believed the gospel of
Jesus.
Judas:
It was not heresy to refer to a Samaritan as "one’s neighbor." But logically,
considering the opinion of Jews on
Samaritans, this statement was very provocative, even scandalous. And it was the
Pharisee who had to pronounce it,
because of Jesus’ excellent handling of the question.
So, my dear brother, the Book of Urantia gives us exactly the same
interpretation that we may read in so many
comments: The base for this interpretation is the lawyer’s original question:
Who is our neighbor? And the answer, of
course, is: Everybody is our neighbor, Jew, Gentile, and even Samaritan.
In the example of the parable of the mustard seed, I have already explained, how
Jesus formulated his parables in a very
provocative way, in order to get the attention of his listeners, and to lead
them to think and meditate. The same thing
happens here, because for the Jews there was no "good Samaritan." Everybody
expected, after the scene of the priest
and Levite, that an ordinary Jew would enter in action. But no, it was a
Samaritan, the provocation of provocations.
I call the explanation, which give us the Book of Urantia and so many preachers,
an explanation on the first level. It is the
obvious thing, the surface.
But now, my dear friend, we will deepen more. We will go beyond the common
comments, and we will shed new light
on more hidden aspects of this story.
The story is actually much more provocative. Why does Jesus relate that a priest
and a Levite passed by the place of the
assault without helping? Why did that indolence of both supposed men of God not
motivate the rejection of the
listeners? Because the priest and the Levite had acted well, interpreting the
Mosaic Law in their manner. Both, the priest
and the Levite, had to offer their services in the Temple, and they could only
do so, when they were in their "pure state,"
ritually clean. However, to become implied with a severely wounded man, in
danger of death, would put in risk their
ritual purity. They could no longer fulfill their functions in the Temple,
because the Law prohibited it. Therefore, they
acted with prudence and left the poor man lying in his misery.
Additionally, the moribund poor Jew had suffered this misfortune because of what
the Book of Deuteronomy, chapter
28, states: for his sins, he was suffering.
Therefore, my dear friend, you will understand that, what Jesus tried to
explain, besides the obvious thing, was that if
there were laws that conflicted with each other, a hierarchy of laws should
exist, and it is indispensable to obey the
higher law. The highest law, and Jesus never got tired of preaching this, is the
Law of Love. How could a rite, a
ceremony, any obligation, even if it seems sacred and extremely important,
eclipse love? The loving deed is exactly that
light, which we put on high, so that the world may see it. Therefore, Jesus
preached in this parable exactly what he also
preached when explaining that the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the
Sabbath. Love as the supreme
manifestation of God’s Will must never be put aside by any other law.
The lawyer understood this very well. Jesus had attacked the Pharisees’
formalisms and technicalities frontally.
Nowadays, we would say that it is not about praying mechanically, fulfilling an
obligation, but of activating our love,
because when doing so, we are praying from the depth of our soul, without words,
but through our desires and with all
honesty. It is not about making three or five genuflexions, it is not about
covering or uncovering one’s head when
attending a religious service, it is not about eating pork or abstaining from
it, it is not about considering Saturday or
Sunday the Day of the Lord, it is not about going to confess oneself or not
doing it. It is about righteousness and the true
desire to fulfill the Will of God. And His Will is that love may reign supreme,
because He is Love. When people think
that they may come closer to God through formalisms, they are badly wrong.
When infringing the supreme Law of Love, they exposed their false sanctity; they
demonstrated that the foundation for
their righteousness was sand and not solid rock. And although this tore apart
the Pharisee lawyer’s chest, he had to
admit it.
God’s Will is written in Love, and not in letters of law.
Do you find this so clear? Do you really not remember a story you read some time
ago? I will call it to your memory.
One day, a theology professor instructed his students to prepare a concise
speech on the parable of the "Good
Samaritan." Then he sent them to deliver this speech in the different classrooms
of the school. He conceded more time to
some, he gave very little time to others, and so they had to deliver their
speech at full speed and hurry immediately to
the following classroom.
On their way, they passed by a miserable beggar. Few paid attention to him, and
those who were in a greater hurry
never paid him attention. However, the beggar was indeed the touchstone that the
professor had put along their way.
Although all students had the parable in their minds, fresh and vividly, they
forgot the practical application of their
interpretation, to help their neighbor, because a law, the professor's order to
finish their work by a certain hour, weighed
on them and was more important to them than a practical demonstration of their
love. They behaved exactly as the
priest and the Levite did in the story.
Don't you believe that this mentality continues effective? And sadly, people do
not realize it. Yes, people’s awareness
moves on different levels, and unless their level of understanding rises higher,
they will never realize their faults.
I will call this interpretation of the parable the explanation on the second
level. It is the less obvious thing, where you
may already see some of its depth.
There is another explanation for the parable, a not obvious explanation, even
hidden, to which none of the listeners came
at that time. However, Jesus understood this level of interpretation very well.
Why did the Samaritan help the wounded Jew? You understand implicitly, of
course, that the assaulted and badly
wounded poor fellow was a Jew. He helped him, simply because he only saw a human
being who needed help, and
desperately.
The Pharisee instantly thought: “There is no good Samaritan!" And he was right.
For him, there was no good Samaritan,
and he would never find any. Do you know why? I will explain this to you.
You always boasted of your good knowledge of people, that is to say, when you
see someone for the first time, you
already know, or you believe to know, how that person will act on you. Your
expectations became usually true.
Of course, this is correct. Because in the bottom, this is the problem that the
psychoanalysts call "the other one." M___
already tried to explain it to you. Your expectations come true, because "the
other one" actually does not exist. Of
course, the person does exist, but their acting is nothing else than the
reflection of your expectations. What you
anticipate materializes in them. Therefore, the Pharisee can never find a good
Samaritan.
Yes, I know, you wonder how Jesus, on the other hand, could suffer such abuse
that he was subjected to, if he only
projected his love upon other people. How is it that this love was not
materialized?
Actually, the materialization of your expectations is only possible in "the
other one," when he already has the equivalent
of it in his soul. If his love is sleeping deeply, buried under thick layer of
sin and evil, your love for him can hardly
materialize in form of a reciprocal attitude.
However, in most cases, you will be successful, because most people only need
this stimulus, this opening and warmth,
in order to be able to mobilize the kindness that exists in them, and to respond
correspondingly.
Have you thought why the Samaritan could travel on the road in the Jewish
country, without having anything bad
happening to him? Have you thought why the innkeeper, a Jew, of course, did
receive him with open arms? Have you
thought why "positive thinking" is so effective?
It is a universal law. Like any natural law, it is neutral in its operation. We
are applying its positive or negative charge,
depending on our way of acting. Negative performance is the cancer of human
society, causing the corresponding
negative reply in others.
You could also say that, if "the other one" does not exist in such an
independent form, but is rather, to a large extent, the
phantom of our expectations, then it is false to say "we and they," but the only
correct word is “we.” The distinction
between us and them, Jews and Samaritans, Catholics and Protestants, etc., is
nothing else that the expression or
materialization of human lack of understanding on this so important topic.
Nobody is an island for themselves, each and
everyone lives in an interlaced system, where they act, and where others cause
reactions in them, too.
The only form of breaking this possible cycle of evil, as it is existing right
now and has always existed, in fact, is giving a
solid base to our acting, and the only possible base is that of Love, and I
write this word in uppercase, because even
natural love is flexible and moldable, and it may easily change its polarity.
This is the lesson that we can learn from the Good Samaritan. This is the
spiritual lesson, the third level.
You may lose your bet, you may suffer disappointments, but in most cases, your
loving attitude will be rewarded, even
in this earthly life. This is what it means to be the "light of the world," put
on high, so that it may shine over the darkness
of negativity, so that it may serve as a point of crystallization for a new and
better world.
Man is not independent. He is prisoner in a vortex of emotions, and his
mentality is tinted by the polarization of the
atmosphere wherein he lives. If you don't want to be dragged by this vortex, but
to serve as a fixed point, as a stable
pillar in this world, you have to incorporate that which is stable and never
changes: The Love that our Heavenly Father
has for us.
Well, my brother, this has been a very long message, however, I hope it may have
also been a productive one.
Tomorrow, if you permit me to do so, I would like to deliver a last message, so
far, in some context with the Samaritans,
and later I will focus on answering some questions you are bearing in mind.
May God always bless you.
Your brother in the spirit,
Judas Iscariot
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