The Parable of the Good Muslim (Luke 10:25-37)

A biblical scholar came up to Jesus and questioned him to see if he knew his stuff. “Preacher, what must I do to get to heaven?” Jesus replied, “What does the Bible say? How do you interpret it?” He replied, “The Bible tells us to love God with our whole being – with all our heart, soul, strength and mind. It also tells us to love other people as much as we love ourselves.” Jesus said, “You’re right. Do this, and you will surely get to heaven.”

But the scholar, trying to find a loophole, said to Jesus, “Whom exactly should I love?” So Jesus told him a story.

A man was traveling from Washington to Arlington. Before he had gotten out of DC he was carjacked, pulled out of his vehicle, robbed, and beaten. While he was laying bleeding on the sidewalk, a Baptist preacher drove by, having just returned from the President’s Prayer Breakfast. He saw the man but didn’t stop to help. Shortly later an Episcopal priest drove by, having just been to a service at the National Cathedral, but he did not stop either.  Then a Muslim imam drove by. He saw the man and stopped to help. He knew he couldn’t just leave him there to die. If he called 911 it might be too late for the man to survive. So he lifted the man into his car and drove him to the ER. At the hospital he told them that if the man did not have insurance, he would cover the bill. So he gave them his credit card number.

Jesus asked the biblical scholar, “Which of these three men loved the man who was mugged?” The scholar replied, “Clearly it was the one who stopped to help!” “Right!” Jesus replied. “Now go and do the same.” 

 (image is Good Samaritan by Elaine Schraader.