Lectio Divina (Sacred Reading)

One of our church school classes has considered the story of Jesus’ conversation with the lawyer in Luke 10 for the past several weeks. The passage centers on the matter of neighborliness. We’ve approached it from the perspective of lectio divina, sacred reading, an outgrowth of St. Benedict’s rule. While all four steps of lectio encourage prayer, the final one, contemplation, places a stronger emphasis on it, and has challenged us with the question, “How does this passage open me to a closer relationship with God?” I have a mental image of medieval monks crouched in their hovels asking the same question.

The earlier steps of lectio posed other inquiries: what is the author really saying, how is our understanding of a passage deepened by knowing about the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, and how does all this prompt a change in my morality? We spent a full class session on each, sailing right along. But the fourth step proves harder, because it wants us to think in relational terms.

One approach is to look at this “story within a story” and wonder, “With whom do I identify?” Is it Jesus, the lawyer, the disciples? Or in the parable Jesus relates, is it the priest, the Levite, the Samaritan – or the crime victim?

One thing stands out. In this conversation, the lawyer presses Jesus to define who his neighbor is, and Jesus isn’t having any. “The Story of the Good Samaritan” is a response to the query, “And who is my neighbor?” But Jesus flips it around. He doesn’t respond to that line of thinking. Instead he tells the story, and then asks, "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" (Luke 10:36 NIV) When the lawyer says “The one who showed mercy,” Jesus tells him to go and do likewise. What began with the lawyer wanting a recipe for judging others is transformed. Instead of being given the rules to determine who his neighbor is, he’s told to go be one.

So coming back to the lectio, what happens if I really identify with the Samaritan? Or more realistically with the lawyer, who reflects my often self-centered approach to God and others? And how does addressing the issue bring me into a deeper relationship with the Lord? Perhaps it lies in the awareness that just thinking about it isn’t enough. The way I deal with others mirrors my relationship with God. The desire to sort people out and categorize them as deserving or undeserving isn’t kingdom living, while the commitment to show mercy is.

I can evade the issue by pointing out that my "inheritance of eternal life" is found in faith in Christ crucified, not my moral behavior. But I suspect Jesus doesn't want to let it go that easily. He encourages me to see that my present actions intersect with my ability to truly participate in the Kingdom. Well, that should provide something for both me and the class to ponder this week.