August 24, 2009

The provision of health care for all without regard to status or ability to pay is portrayed in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:24-35) as the duty of every neighbor and thus of every person.

In a conversation that began with the question of how one might obtain eternal life, Jesus asserted that one must love God and one’s neighbor. In response to the next question as to who one’s neighbor is, Jesus portrayed a Samaritan, an outsider, who coming upon a wounded traveler, provided him with health care.

Jesus portrayed the duty to provide health care as:

1. One that is owed regardless of the merit or ethnicity of the person in need;
2. One that is owed to the limit of one’s economic capacity — the Samaritan told the innkeeper, “Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.”; and
3. A duty that one neglects at the peril of one’s eternal life.

—Resolution #3201. “Health Care for All in the United States,” The Book of Resolutions of the United Methodist Church

The following is a two-act skit prepared as part of a Doctor of Ministry project in the track, “Faith and the Health of Communities.” The skit is intended to be a conversation starter in a discussion group. The acts can be used individually to start two successive sessions on different days, or used in the same session with time for discussion after each.

Act 1: Rebekah’s Question

(Samuel the Samaritan and his wife Rebekah approach the door to an inn in Jericho.)

Samuel: Well, it’s been five days since I was here last. I wonder how that traveler is doing.

Rebekah: You were so good to take care of him as you did. I wonder how many others just passed him by before you stopped!

Samuel: Well, it really was the least I could do. That’s the problem with reading the Bible, I suppose. We’re not only to love our neighbor, as we read in Leviticus, but Deuteronomy tells us we are to love the stranger, because we were strangers in Egypt.

Samaritans and Jews may differ on a lot of things, but that we agree on. I really didn’t feel like I had any choice. How could I have prayed to God again if that sort of disobedience had stood between us?

(Approaches door and knocks. Elisha the innkeeper opens the door)

Elisha: Samuel! Peace be with you. It’s good to see you again.

Samuel: And peace to you, Elisha. It’s good to be back. And you see Rebekah is with me. It will be good to have Rebekah home again after her visit with her sister. How is our patient?

Elisha: Well, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that the wounds that you can see are healing very nicely. But there’s bad news. We can get him to eat, but that’s about all.

One night a physician stayed here and I asked him to take a look at him, but he had no answers for me. Sometimes I think your man’s paralyzed and other times I think something’s affected his mind. He doesn’t talk. He just lies there.

At a denarius a day, I’ve spent five denarii of your money so far. How long do you want to continue?

Samuel: That’s bad news indeed. I had hoped to talk with him today, get acquainted with him and hear his plans. This is very disappointing.

Well, we can’t just throw him out in the street in his condition. Continue caring for him, please; here’s some additional payment in advance. I’ll be coming this way again in two months, and we’ll have to make a decision then.

I do hope he gets better and can be on his own before that. If he does, please be sure to find out about him, his name, what family and place he belongs to, and how he can be reached.

I think we’ll be on our way, then. If we hurry, we can be at Jerusalem before nightfall and home to Shechem tomorrow. Peace be with you!

Elisha: And peace to you on your journey.

(Elisha closes door.)

Rebekah: Samuel, this is getting very expensive. You know, we had plans for that money. How long will we continue being burdened with these neighbors of yours?

Act 2: Rebekah's challenge

(Two months later. Samuel the Samaritan and his wife Rebekah are having a conversation in the front room of their home in Shechem.)

Samuel: Well, I'm off to Jericho tomorrow. I wonder how that traveler is doing.

Rebekah: It's been almost two months. I thought you would have heard something from the innkeeper by now.

Samuel: Not a thing. I suppose that's bad news.

Rebekah: Well it's of a piece with all the other bad news lately!

Samuel, I don't know what's gotten into you. Ever since you started studying the Bible, life has been getting just impossible. Everybody knows the roads are dangerous; you travel them at your own risk. If something bad happens, you were warned ahead of time.

But you've rescued seven more travelers in the past two months, three of them Jews, since you found that man on the road to Jericho. Every one has taken food from our children's mouths.

You keep talking about being a neighbor. When are you going to be a neighbor to your own family? Have you looked at our children's clothing lately? Have you talked to the priests who are wondering where their payment is for teaching them?

Samuel: Being a neighbor is simply something we are commanded to do. And I am going to do it.

Rebekah: But how about everyone else? Does the Bible say that only Samuel has to be a neighbor and everyone else can do as they please?

You've been doing Samuel's share and Ebenezer's share and David's share. What do they say about the Bible?

Samuel: I don't know, I haven't talked with them about it.

Rebekah: Well, maybe it's time to. You can't solve the world's problems alone, but you've got a lot better chance if you work together.

I wouldn’t feel quite so bad about our children dressing in rags if all the other families were taking this neighbor stuff seriously too!

If you're really feeling gutsy, go talk to the commander of the Legion about stationing more troops on the highway to keep the robbers at bay. He wants our taxes. If he’s smart he’ll want people to prosper and not get robbed!

Doesn’t your Bible say something about communities? Doesn’t it say something about working together? Doesn’t it say something about the responsibilities of government?

Editor’s note: ©Jackson H. Day, 2009. Used by permission.