Modern Day Good Samaritan and Merton’s Epiphany

How would Jesus tell the story of the Good Samaritan if he were incarnate in the 21st century? Ideas filled my head as I thought about creating artwork to provoke compassion and also challenge my Christian friends to be peacemakers in a divided world. As I started this piece I struggled with fear of criticism in even approaching such a topic.

Choosing a Modern Day Good Samaritan

As I began to paint, I took out my emotions on the canvas by throwing red and yellow paint. The way the yellow paint landed, it reminded me of Merton’s epiphany in Louisville. He suddenly felt a love for everyone, and saw them all as “shining like the sun.” I then proceeded to paint how I think the “Good Samaritan” story might look if Jesus were walking around today telling it. In the original parable, Jesus did not choose the religious leaders of his own family religion as the heroes. Rather, he chose a Samaritan, who would have been snubbed by the Jewish leaders. Jesus chose the underdog, the outcast, as the heroic rescuer in the story. So I made a Muslim woman the hero of my modern day Good Samaritan painting. The male mainline religious figure is in the distance ignoring the problem, distracted on his cell phone.

Jesus Stood for the Oppressed

Jesus had a tendency to buck the religious and political systems of his day and turn things upside down. For example, Jesus stood up for the woman “caught in adultery.” Now I ask you, how does a woman get caught in adultery without a man being present with her and just as guilty? Where was the man? The system was obviously rigged against women in those days, and Jesus stood up for her and saved her life.

Good Samaritans in 2020

A great example of modern day good Samaritans occurred in June of 2020 when Black Lives Matter protesters formed a human shield to protect a police officer who was separated from his squad. In Merton’s epiphany, he saw all the people as beautiful, and for a moment, some who were protesting saw the beauty and humanity of the police officer, and they saved his life.

Paralyzed by Fear

Paralyzed by fear of criticism and sometimes by not knowing exactly what to think about difficult issues, we might (at least I might) retreat into our turtle shells. It’s easier to just hide and wait out the storm. But God might have another plan. Maybe God wants us to act, even if we are worried about mistakes or offending people. I think God honors our desires to do what’s right.