by the Rev. Tad de Bordenave When Jesus introduced the Samaritan in the parable, he introduced drama and ill will. This man was the foil who would illustrate lessons for the lawyer and for us. Before we look at him in the story, we first must understand the hostility of Jew and Samaritan. It began […]

by the Rev. Tad de Bordenave We move now to the point in the story where the Good Samaritan stops and administers compassion to the man in the ditch. This man Jesus describes as “beaten, stripped, and dying.” We will transpose him to today’s world and examine compassion from two different perspectives. One shows biblical […]

by the Rev. Tad de Bordenave We return to the dialogue between the lawyer and Jesus. We left them when the lawyer had asked the question, “Who is my neighbor?” In response Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan. With this parable Jesus was prodding the lawyer to acknowledge a relation with God he […]

by Tad de Bordenave Last week I described the contemporary “man in the ditch” as four groups: indigenous people, the unborn child, nomads, and Muslims in our neighborhoods. This week we bring in the priest and the Levite of today. These two men “passed by on the other side.” What would that look like today? […]

Tad de Bordenave We now turn our attention to the parable of the Good Samaritan and the central character of the story —  the man in the ditch. Jesus described him with terms that are brief and grim. The man was “stripped, wounded, and left half-dead.” This was not a pretty sight! No wonder the priest […]

Was it only two weeks since we put aside the story of the Good Samaritan, the visit of the lawyer and Jesus? In the interim we have had shopping, lists, family, decorations, lists, guests, presents, feasts, lists, and — oh yes – Christmas and New Years. Time to return to the Good Samaritan and the […]