Sermon: Good Samaritan

Preacher:

Chris Hollingshurst

Date:

Sunday 13th July 2025

Venue:

Guildford Cathedral

Service:

Cathedral Eucharist

Extempore prayer

It may be that, for many here – not all, but many - the greatest difficulty we have with this morning’s gospel is over-familiarity. Jeus is asked ‘who is my neighbour?’ and responds with a parable – a story with a point.

A man is left battered and bleeding on the dangerous road from Jerusalem to Jericho. Two religious leaders—a priest and a Levite—pass him by. These are the ones society expects to help, yet they chose distance and safety over mercy.

Then comes the Samaritan, a man from a group historically despised by the Jewish people of the times. He stops. He kneels. He binds the wounds. He sacrifices his time, resources, and comfort. Jesus then asks, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbour?” The answer is undeniable.

This week, I read the account of an American pastor who found himself unexpectedly in the guise of a modern-day Good Samaritan. Ten years, while on his early morning run, he encountered a moment that would affect him profoundly.

He came across someone lying on the side of the road, barely breathing - suffering from what appeared to be a drug overdose. In that moment, instinct took over. The pastor called 911, stayed by their side, and watched as first responders arrived and administered Narcan—also known as the Lazarus drug.

Afterwards he wrote:

‘I witnessed this individual, once slipping away, come back to life before my eyes. It reminded me of the parable of the Good Samaritan in a profound way. God placed me at that exact moment not for convenience, but for compassion. Since that day, I’ve been more intentional about asking, “Who can I help next?” Because the truth is—being a Good Samaritan isn’t about a title. It’s about a lifestyle.’

Sometimes it is as if a mirror is being held up to our motives and our lives, by Scripture and by the examples of other people. The parable of the Good Samaritan does more than answer a question: it exposes the condition of our hearts, redefines what it means to love well, and calls us to action.

In today’s world full of fast-moving schedules, divided communities, and digital noise, compassion can easily be drowned out. Put it another way, the parable of the Good Samaritan pulls us back to what matters most: loving others as God has loved us.

This has, perhaps, many implications but, this morning, I’ll stick to just four.

First that we are called to exercise compassion over convenience. We often scroll past suffering, literally or metaphorically. We dodge awkward conversations and avoid messiness because it slows us down or because it upsets us. Yet expressing real love, God’s love, will normally mean slowing down, not passing by but stepping in to pain, stopping when others don’t.

Secondly, we are called to break down barriers. Famously, the hero of the story was someone Jesus’ original audience would never have expected - a Samaritan helping a Jew to the extent that real compassion transcended deep-seated prejudice.

History (and even a quick Google search) reveals many stories of individuals on one side of a culture or a conflict helping those whom they are supposed to hate. Given this is the story of one who crosses cultural, racial, political, or religious lines to show love, are we willing to do the same?

The third implication concerns generosity which goes beyond the decent minimum, which goes the extra mile. The Samaritan didn’t just offer first aid; he continued to do what others wouldn’t until the crisis had passed. He took the victim to hostel, paid for his care, and promised to return.

That kind of generosity is rare in a self-centred world, but it reflects the extravagant grace of God. True love doesn’t stop when it becomes inconvenient or costly. It continues whilst it is needed.

Fourthly, and more than ever, our neighbours are not limited to geography. With global connectivity, we now have the opportunity - and Christian responsibility - to care for those we may never meet.

Whether it’s helping someone on the street, advocating for the voiceless, or giving to international aid, we can reflect the Samaritan’s heart across borders. We can pray to be prompted by the Holy Spirit to be hands and feet of Christ to those we will never meet.

For all of this, the importance of the parable is devalued if it is just used to teach us to be kind to others, essential though that is.

So far, what I have said stems from the second question asked of Jesus in the gospel reading - ‘who is my neighbour?’ But what of the first question? ‘Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’  Many commentators think that it is as important as that.

How so? Well, we might notice that it is a lawyer who is questioning Jesus, and Jesus answers the first question by asking the lawyer what is in the law. It is the lawyer’s response understanding of what The Law (the Jewish religious law) says about love which brings up the question of a neighbour. 

This conversation holds law and love together in a way that Jesus’ listeners would understand. Though Jesus sat likely to some rules and regulations of his day, this law – loving God and neighbour – the Shema – is not a law he is prepared to overturn or trivialise. It was not a law for his listeners then, not is it a law for us today, to ignore when it suits us. For God’s law is a law of love – to the extent that the God—given dignity of human life is recognised and hatred is put aside in the cause of love.

Those who, like the lawyer on that day, wish to inherit eternal life will find that Jesus turns all that is negative into a positive, and releases the burdens which stifle, oppress and even kill.

Those who wish to inherit eternal life can begin by sharing it – banishing the fear of others by reaching out to them. Making changes to how we live our lives is both a sign of our love for God and something which bring us into God’s eternal presence.

The American pastor I spoke of a few minutes ago later said this:

‘The world doesn’t need more self-preserving religion. It needs more self-giving love. The kind that doesn’t keep score. The kind that doesn’t ask, “What’s in it for me?” The kind that mirrors Jesus.’

Will we choose compassion over convenience, seek to break down barriers, go the extra mile in being generous, and include even those we shall never meet?  Will we answer the call of Christ to “go and do likewise.”?

My prayer for us all, myself included, is that today will be a day when we don’t just read the parable of the Good Samaritan, but a day when we commit or recommit ourselves to living it – for at its heart lies the way to God.

In the name of the Father…