Monday, August 10, 2015

Short Stories by Jesus: Amy-Jill Levine


I've been reading Short Stories by Jesus, a look at some of the parables Jesus told, written by Amy-Jill Levine.

One of the parables that Levine examines is The Good Samaritan. And if there is one biblical parable that is well-worn, this one is it. But she offers a wonderfully fresh and insightful spin. Here's some of what Levine has to say:

"...the Samaritan is not a social victim. He has money, freedom of travel, the ability to find lodging (more than what Jesus found in the Samaritan village), and some leverage with the innkeeper. The parable, in its original setting, is not about the type of prejudice that creates people on the margins; it is about hatred between groups who have similar resources.

Second, a benevolent reading of the Samaritan's final actions understands him as providing not one-time aid, but long-term care. Thus the sense of loving neighbor means continual action, not something to check off the to-do list. The Samaritan's offering the innkeeper what amounts to a blank check fits within Jesus' overall concern for generosity..."

Commenting on the lawyer's (from the parable) follow-up question, "Who is my neighbor? She notes:

"Samaria today has various names: the West Bank, Occupied Palestine, Greater Israel. To hear the parable today, we only need to update the identity of the figures. I am an Israeli Jew on my way  from Jerusalem to Jericho, and I am attacked by thieves, beaten, stripped, robbed, and left half dead in a ditch. Two people who should have stopped to help pass me by; the first, a Jewish medic from the Israel Defense Forces; the second, a member of the Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church USA. But the person who takes compassion on me and shows me mercy is a Palestinian Muslim whose sympathies lie with Hamas, a political party whose charter not only anticipates Israel's destruction, but also depicts Jews as subhuman demons responsible for all the world's problems.

The parable of the "Good Hamas Member" might be difficult for people in support of Israel's existence. Were Jesus a Samaritan, we'd today have the parable of the "Good Jew," told in the streets of Ramallah. If people in the Middle East could picture this, we might have a better vision for choosing life.

Can we finally agree that it is better to acknowledge the humanity and the potential to do good in the enemy, rather than to choose death? Will we be able to care for our enemies, who are also our neighbors? Will we be able to bind up their wounds rather that blow up their cities? And can we imagine that they might do the same for us? Can we put into practice the inauguration promise of not leaving the wounded traveler on the road? The biblical text - and concern for humanity's future - tell us  we must."

To take a look at Short Stories by Jesus, click on this link:

Short Stories by Jesus

To read an interview with Amy-Jill Levine, written by Jonathan Merritt, click here.

Interview with Jonathan Merritt

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