Over the last few weeks, the scripture of the Good Samaritan has been heavy on my heart. Countless church leaders have been referencing it in their sermons, including Reverend Al Sharpton in his eulogy of George Floyd. His retelling of this parable Jesus told, is one of the most beautiful interpretations I’ve heard so far:
The Good Samaritan- Luke 10:25-37
“Let me tell you this. Jesus told the story that there was a man laying by the side of the road. He’d been robbed and beaten. They said one man came by that was his same race, his fellow brother, and he kept walking.
“Then another man came by that was steep and well-read in the scriptures. Knew every scripture, knew how to quote the book back and forward. But he only quoted the book, he never lived by the book. And he kept walking.
“But Jesus said a third man came by and he stopped and looked at the man. He wasn’t the same race, wasn’t the same religion. But he picked the man up and he took care of restoring the man to his rightful being. And Jesus called him the Good Samaritan.
“The problem is too many of you been walking by the Eric Garners, been walking by the Trayvon Martins, been walking by the Arberys, been walking by. And now we stopped for George Floyd. And I’m in Houston today because I don’t want nobody to call me a passerby.”
As I dug a little deeper into the context of this story, the footnote from Bible Gateway says this:
“There was racial tension in those days between Jews and Samaritans. The Samaritans were considered to be a mixed race by the religious Jews. A Samaritan would be the most unlikely person to stop and help a Jewish man. The word Samaritan does not refer to people who lived in a geographical place, but is the Hebrew-Aramaic word Samarim, which means “keeper of the law.”
I’ve been meditating a lot on this scripture verse and how it applies to my life as a white woman whose heart is to fight injustice. To be honest, I haven’t always been the best example of a good neighbor, not just in my actual neighborhood, but with my friends. My eyes have been opening more and more daily to the challenges Black and PoC face on a daily basis. Challenges I’ve had the privilege of being blissfully unaware of.
I began thinking about the Good Samaritan, and what that person would look like in today’s context. So I wrote a short story inspired by the parable Jesus taught and called it: The Good American.
The Good American
There was a person named Jamie headed to work one morning. Jamie was in a bit of a rush to get to a meeting that day, and forgot to grab the brand new wallet left by the door. Along the drive, Jamie was pulled over on the side of the road by a police officer.
When Jamie asked the reason for being pulled over, the officer reacted by aggressively, strip-searching Jamie, and tore apart the entire vehicle. Since Jamie didn’t have any ID, the officer prohibited Jamie from driving and had the car towed, leaving the Jamie stranded on the side of the road.
Jamie posted this experience on Facebook and pleaded for help. #stranded
A lot of people saw it on their newsfeed, read and “liked” the post. A few people clicked the “sad” emoji.
The first person who commented was a co-worker said: “That sucks Jamie! I got pulled over last week for running a red light! The officer let me off with a warning, but I was late for work, so I totally know how you feel.”
The second person who commented was from Jamie’s church wrote: “Sending my thoughts and prayers!” but kept scrolling and didn’t think twice about Jamie.
Someone else commented: “The officer was just doing their job! Not all cops are bad people. Besides, rules are rules. What did you do to get pulled over?”
Now Jordan, who barely knew Jamie, was scrolling through Facebook and saw the post. “I can help you! Send me a DM with your location!”
Jordan sprung into action, got in the car and drove to Jamie, still stranded on the side of the road. Once they figured out where the car was towed, Jordan drove Jamie to the opposite side of the town. Along the way, Jordan listened to Jamie’s story.
Jamie was a hard worker; college educated and had a family at home. Other members of Jamie’s family and community regularly have similar experiences with the police and local government. Jordan’s eyes were being opened to the injustices of Jamie’s world as they drove to the impound lot.
Jordan wasn’t afraid of the police. No one in the family ever experienced any sort of police brutality. In fact, Jordan knew a few cops and they were good people who served their community. The local government had almost no negative impact on Jordan’s day to day life, so voting in mid-term elections was never a priority.
When they arrived at the tow yard, Jordan paid to get Jamie’s car out of the impound lot and told the clerk: “If any additional fees are incurred, send the bill to me” and offered a business card.
Jordan has no idea what it’s like to be in that Jamie’s shoes, but this interaction was life changing. Jordan can’t change Jamie’s situation, but there was no excuse to no longer be uninformed about what was happening in America.
Researching the local governing laws, school board members and finding out which local political leaders are fighting for change in the area became a top priority. The vast amount of resources for education were actually right there all along.
Jordan also started signing petitions that Jamie shared on Facebook that impacted the community. Donating to organizations that help victims of discriminatory, coercive, and oppressive jailing became a monthly business expense.
Jordan called & emailed local communities where police violence was prevalent, and encouraged his friends and family on social media to do the same. Realizing the fight for social injustice is just beginning, and not even close to being over, was a huge realization for Jordan. Will you join Jordan?
So often, Christians know the scripture but don’t practice it. (I’m pointing the finger at myself first here). “I don’t want nobody to call me a passerby” as Reverend Al Sharpton said in George Floyd’s eulogy. We need to start acting like the Good Samaritan. I acknowledge this won’t happen overnight. The real work is going to happen when we keep advocating for our Black, Brown & Indigenous brothers and sisters.
I challenge you to continue exploring ways you benefit, what that means in everyday life, your job. Exploring for me is asking what that means as a Realtor and a good neighbor. At the end of my life, I want to be known by my Heavenly Father as someone who stood up for the right thing, even if it’s uncomfortable or “too political”.
Will you join me in the #GoodAmericanChallenge ?
