Yes, the Samaritan has long been a role model for someone who sees a victim of crime, helps them, cares for them, and pays for their treatment.
But who is this Samaritan who has been such a role model for so long? The Samaritan community, one of the oldest, was part of the tribes of northern Israel. Around 700 BC, they were expelled from their land. And around 500 BC, the tribes of southern Israel were also expelled, leaving large areas, especially in the north, empty. In these empty areas, the Babylonian rulers who conquered Israel settled people from various ethnic, tribal, and religious backgrounds in the former territory of the Samaritans (when the Romans and Caliphs ruled Israel, they also settled many people in that area). Their descendants are the Samaritans of today.
In the first century, due to various reasons of ethnicity, lineage, faith, and belief, Samaritans were seen as a 'second-class society,' looked down upon, not trusted, and not equal to others. They were even considered so lowly that people asked, "Is anything good to be expected from a Samaritan?"
With this background, Luke wrote about the Samaritan (Luke believed this was part of his teacher's method of public education) as part of his own work.
From the story of the Samaritan, without biological data, several interesting things emerge. The Samaritan showed compassion for the victim of a robbery; he helped a stranger; he demonstrated social solidarity. The Samaritan helped the victim
The Samaritan has positioned himself as a 'Fellow Human for Others,' regardless of differences in ethnicity, faith, religion, or class. In other words, the Samaritan considered a stranger a brother in humanity.
The Samaritan considered those of different ethnicities, nations, faiths, religions, and classes as brothers in humanity, so he had to help, care for, and sacrifice for his suffering brother.
In today's situation, perhaps you and I know (and memorize) the story of the Samaritan; but is that all there is to it? In fact, you and I can be the new Samaritans in this modern era.
By Opa Jappy, Pro Life Indonesia
WA +62818126858
Kanal YouTube Opa Jappy Official
