What the Good Samaritan Did NOT Do

If you grew up in a Christian church or currently attend one, chances are that you’ve heard of the Good Samaritan in the Bible. If you haven’t heard it, you can read it here in Luke 10:30-37. This story has been foundational in my life and profession. I can’t think of another story in the Bible that provides a better framework for public health professionals than this. I also appreciate how direct and clear the lessons are as we learn to define who our neighbors are so we can love our them as ourselves.

The parable starts in a fascinating way where Jesus teaches us two primary principles. The first is to love God, and the second is to love our neighbor. A highly educated lawyer decided not to take those simple lessons, and he challenged Jesus by asking who his neighbor was. I’m not sure what kind of response he was hoping for, but Jesus went on and shared one of the most profound lessons in the Bible. He used the Good Samaritan to teach us all what it means to be a good neighbor. I would also add that it teaches us how to be good public health professionals, especially when we work in global health.

It is easy to read the parable of the Good Samaritan and see what he did by helping another person in need. I actually have several lectures on this that I share with my graduate and undergraduate public health students. But I also think there is much to learn by what the Good Samaritan did NOT do. Below are some themes from the story and some reflection questions I ask myself personally and professionally.

Religious Norms

This parable has a profound lesson on cultural backgrounds and how we treat each other. The man on the side of the road was beaten almost to death, stripped of his clothes, and was unrecognizable. Today, if we saw someone on the side of the road like that and went to help, we probably wouldn’t risk the same level of religious implications that were in place back then. There were religious norms and practices then that labeled people groups as “unclean” or “impure”. The Jews considered the Samaritans to be unclean. If Jews, especially Jewish priests, did anything to deem themselves unclean, then they were not allowed to take communion and would take on that label. The implications of touching an unrecognizable body could have had significant ramifications. But the Good Samaritan was moved by compassion, NOT by religious norms.

Compassion should be the guide when we help. It leads us to the problems and not away from others. Compassion does not care about labels, where people are from, or the implications from helping others. How can I become more aware of those in need around me? As public health professionals, how can we be moved by compassion to go to the problem and not away?

Cultural & Social Status

In the region where this story took place, the priests and Jews were the ones that fit in with culture. The Levites worked alongside them and were accepted. The Samaritans were a small people group, and considered foreigners, often despised by Jews at that time. The Good Samaritan was not helping from a place of power, authority, or high social status. It was actually quite the opposite. He chose to help the unidentified man, NOT knowing if he was a Jew, Levite, Samaritan, or any other cultural or social status.

The lowest in society took time to help the even lower. Status, authority, and power were not the answer. Fitting in and being concerned about what others thought was not the answer. How can I go lower still? How can I not become caught up in societal norms, noise, and power so that I can notice those in need? How can we, as public health professionals, learn to work in lowly places, not for the spotlight, but to simply be a help? Imagine if we all took this posture, even with our physical neighbors next door, and how different our communities could look.

Convenience

Scientifically speaking, humans are creatures of habit. Our brains feel safe with routine and predictability. Stepping out of routines and plans can cause inconvenience and stress. When the Good Samaritan stopped to help the unidentified man on the side of the road, he didn’t pause to consider how inconvenient it would be. He was on a journey from Jerusalem to Jericho, which is approximately 16 miles long. That sounds like it would be an all-day trek and likely required considerations of time/daylight when making a journey like that. The Good Samaritan went out of his way and walked to the other side of the road. He was so moved by compassion that he interrupted his routine, walked directly to the problem, and decided to join this stranger’s journey without hesitation. He did NOT care about the inconvenience.

This is something I always feel like I am working on improving. How can I learn to be more comfortable with inconvenience? What moments am I missing in the day where I can stop and help another human? Where is my routine inhibiting my view? As public health professionals, how do we balance data and program implementation with making time for the one?

Judgement

This topic can also tie into the cultural lens above. The Good Samaritan did not try to judge the injured man. He was completely unaware of what happened or how the man was hurt. We knew from reading the story that the man was attacked, robbed, and left almost dead on the side of the road. The Good Samaritan was not there when it happened. For all he knew, the man could have attacked someone or initiated the fight or done something unworthy of help. The Good Samaritan did NOT stop to judge and assess if this man was worthy of helping; he just helped.

It is between God and me when I decide to stop and help someone without judgement. It is between the other person and God with what they did in the past or choose to do with the help. The Bible doesn’t say to judge others and then only help those who are worthy. Later in the book of Luke (6:30), it says to give to those who ask. It sounds so simple, and yet we can make it so complicated. How can I continue to help those in need? How can I obey the prompt of compassion without judging why someone is in need? As public health professionals, how can we continue to meet the needs of those who are hurting? How can we help freely the way Jesus would?

Risk Analysis

Along with the lack of judgement, I believe there was a safety component to contemplate. What if the injured man was from a different cultural background? What if he was the one who instigated the fight? What if he was delirious from being knocked out and was combative when he woke up? What if he woke up and thought the Good Samaritan was the person who hurt him? There was a lot of potential risk in stopping to help an unidentified, half-dead, stranger on the side of the road. The Good Samaritan did NOT contemplate the risk of the “what ifs” in the scenario.

Working in global health, there are plenty of scenarios where I’ve had to weigh the risk analysis. Sometimes it is wise, pertaining to safety and leading teams, but sometimes maybe I question too much. If God has moved my heart with compassion, how do I step into what He is calling me to do? As public health professionals, we often travel to challenging places. How do we go where help is needed with a plan and not let little “what ifs” cloud our minds?

Reputation

Earlier in the story, we saw how a priest walked right by the man on the side of the road. Then a Levite did the same. The priest likely had resources to help him, and the Levite probably did as well. The priest may have thought he was dead, and then it would have been considered unclean to touch him. The Levites were people who often helped the priests and had a deep knowledge of religious law. Maybe the Levite could see the priest in the distance and followed social norms. Maybe he thought about religious laws and did not want to be unclean. For whatever reason, they both chose not to help, and their reputation and social status was at stake. The Good Samaritan did NOT stop to consider his reputation or religious rules.

So many people get caught in the cycle of worrying about what others think. Are you wearing the right brand? Do you have the best car? Is your technology the latest and greatest? Whatever you have is not enough, and companies will quickly fill your mind with guilt. American culture can place heavy pressures on individuals to try to be enough, look a certain way, strive for success, and constantly care what others think. Add social media and it has become even more crazy. What if we truly didn’t care about our image? What if we saw ourselves the way God sees us? What if we cared more about what His voice was saying than culture? What if He called us to a place to help others where we looked foolish or were misunderstood? As public health professionals, we are used to being behind the scenes in our work. What if we continued to work in the unpopular areas? What if we were willing to get dirty and be with people and not care what we were wearing or eating or drinking? What if we work in a corrupt region of the world and our work gets misunderstood, but we still help people? Would we still do it? May we step outside of ourselves, and only focus on helping and loving those around us.

Cost

Time is money. Goods are money. Hotel stays are money. The cost of caring for this unidentified man was high! The Good Samaritan paused in his journey to apply first aid by using bandages, oil, and wine (time and goods). Then he went completely out of his way and took the injured man to an inn and cared for him there (time and hotel costs). The next day, he gave the innkeeper two days’ worth of salary to care for the man until he returned (money). He didn’t just stop there; he went above and beyond with generosity. He told the innkeeper that he would return and pay whatever the cost was above the two-day salary! The Good Samaritan did NOT limit generosity to human logic.

The Good Samaritan does not appear to be a wealthy man with excess, but he was the most kind and generous of the three. How can I be more generous? How can I show kindness and generosity to those around me? How can I go above and beyond? Imagine living in a community where this became the norm? Imagine if we all learned to give freely when others were in need and took care of those around us? As public health professionals, how do we leave communities better off than when we entered? How do we work with local leaders and be generous with our time and resources?

One Good Deed

It would have been very kind and generous for the Good Samaritan to stop, sacrifice time, and use his own goods to provide first aid and leave him in a better place. I often wonder how many people would have chosen that path; do one good deed and then keep going on their way. The Good Samaritan chose the path of sacrificially journeying with this unknown man. It was a long, inconvenient, costly journey. He did NOT stop with one act of kindness.

This point always gets me thinking more. Where in my life have I paused to help, but I didn’t quite help to the extent that I could? Where have I given a dollar to a person experiencing homelessness, but maybe I should have paused to learn their name and story and bought them food? Where have I let human logic, routine, or distraction limit the compassion I was called to share? Students and public health professionals, this is the foundation of our work in global health. We do not complete one task or collect one dataset, we go back. And we keep going back. And we journey with people and community leaders. We go beyond the scientific knowledge and results and choose the long journey.

Future

The Good Samaritan was on a 16-mile path for something. Was he meeting a friend, family member, or working? We have no idea what he was going to do, but we can probably assume that he had some sort of plan if he chose to be on a 16-mile path between cities. He did NOT worry about his future, where he was going, his plans, other people, or finances when he was moved by compassion.

I honestly feel compelled to grow by each point in this story. This point reminds me of how we can have plans, but God directs our steps (Prov 16:9). I am often reminded of this when I work on global health trips and we have grand plans, but then something interrupts them. How can we be present in the moment with others? How can we have eyes to see what God is doing and not worry about where we are going? As public health professionals, we have goals and health outcomes we strive for practice. How do we keep those goals (or adapt them if needed), but learn to be flexible with our plans? How can we get better at being with people, hearing stories, and learning culture instead of rushing to the next item on our checklist?

Final Thoughts

I feel challenged and inspired every time I read the passage of the Good Samaritan. It is a good reminder for my heart to be on alert to love those around me. Public health students, I want us to care for those in need the way we would want to be cared for. I want us to look beyond culture and social status to see real needs. I want us to be led by compassion and not noise, distractions, or reputations. I want us to be generous with our time, skills, and resources when someone asks for help. I want us to be present with each other, with global community partners, and be committed to the journey. I truly believe that our local communities can look different, and our global health work can be guided by the framework in the story of the Good Samaritan.