18 March 2011

TO: The Managing Editor – Jane Korevaar

Glad Tidings Magazine
(Official Publication of the M ission Committee of the Heritage
Reformed Congregations www.hnrc.org)
janekorevaar@sympatico.ca

Dear Jane

Submission for consideration

Please find below an article entitled “Good

Samaritanism – principles and methods of doing
commerce in a global environment ”. I feel that the
article addresses a few important values that could
be useful to practitioners involved in sustainable
development and missionary projects .

Yours sincerely

Guy Stubbs
(Regent - Christian Social Entrepreneurial - MBA Student)
guystubbs@mweb.co.za
Good Samaritanism – principles and methods of
doing commerce in a global environment

By Guy Stubbs

Introduction
Global commerce is essential to multigenerational equity
and our moral common good. The parable of the Good
Samaritan (i.e., the story of neighbourly love in the
Christian tradition) shows us a blueprint of a caring
community. (Lai-Ling Lam, 2010) There are strong
parallels between the Christian principles of neighbourly
love and the African practice of affective community and
fundamental humanity in the social philosophy of ubuntu.
(Bekker C. J., 2007) Interestingly moral duties of
individuals towards others in need have been a common
debate in legal circles around the world with a hesitance
to transform moral duties into legal duties. In 1903, in
Union Pacific Railway. Co. v Cappier, the Supreme Court of
Kansas stated: ―For withholding relief from the suffering,
for failure to respond to the calls of worth y charity, or for
faltering in the bestowment of brotherly love on the
unfortunate, penalties are found not in the laws of men,
but in that higher law...‖ (LRC, 2009)

The parable of the Good Samaritan

In the biblical parable of the Good Sam aritan, in
answering the lawyer‘ s question of ―who is my neighbour?‖
Jesus told the story of a man - presumed to be Jewish -
who was travelling between Jerusalem and Jericho, who
had been stripped, wounded and left half dead by thieves.
Both a priest and a Levite (who might be described as
pillars of the Jewish community at that time)
(wiki/Good_Samaritan, 2011) passed him by. But a man
from Samaria, (an outcast in Jewish culture) , saw him and
had compassion on him. He bound up his wounds , carried
him to an inn and took care of him. When he departed, he
gave some money to the innkeeper, and asked him to take
care of the injured man. Jesus showed that the neighbour
was the person who showed mercy to the injured ma n and
that we are morally obliged to do likewise. (LRC, 2009)
The overriding message therefore , places a moral demand
on all persons to help a neighbour who is in need of help.
―Helping a neighbour in need ‖ is sometimes referred to as
the theology of relational care - understanding how
contemporary followers of Jesus can relate to others,
(Bekker, 2010) especially those who are poor,
marginalized, or considered to be outcasts from
mainstream society. (Frame, 2009)

Neighbourly love
At the centre of his ubuntu theology, Desmond Tutu has
relied heavily on [neighbourly love] to explain the value of
reconciliation . [This was evident in post-Apartheid South
Africa where] a n expression of human interdependence
and forgiveness mirror [ed] God‘s self-sacrificing love.
(Bekker C. J., 2007) The theology of relational care
emphasizes Christians engaging, validating, and loving
marginalized persons through genuine, intentional
interactions. Such interactions include establishing
relationships, participating in meaningful conversations,
and building trust. It emphasizes that Christians actively
build relationships with others so as to bridge the chasm
between persons in the mainstream and those who have
become disenfranchised from the mainstream. It also
emphasizes that God has a special concern for the poor
and proposes that social capital for marginalized persons
is increased while emotional and spiritual support is
offered to them. An important tenet of the theology of
relational care is reciprocity - that the relationship is
mutually enriching for both parties. The theology of
relational care stresses relational justice, the idea that
human beings have an inalienable right to be in
relationship with other human beings.
(wiki/relational_care, 2010) The meaning of t he parable
for Calvin was, instead, that compassion, which an enemy
showed to a Jew, demonstrates that the guidance and
teaching of nature are sufficient to show that man was
created for the sake of man. Hence it is inferred that
there is a mutual obligati on between all men. In other
writings, Calvin pointed out that people are not born
merely for themselves, but rather "mankind is knit
together with a holy knot ... we must not live for
ourselves, but for our neighbours." (Bouwsma, 1988) John
Newton refers to an allegorical interpretation in his hymn
"How Kind the Good Samaritan," (newton/olneyhymns,
2010) where he implies that we should be Christ-like in
our actions. (Bekker & Stone, 2009)
Projecting the “I” into the “thou”
Joel B. Green writes that Jesus' final question (which, in
something of a "parable twist," (Bekker & Stone, 2009)
reverses the question originally asked) presupposes the
identification of "anyone" as a neighbour, then presses the
point that such an identification opens wide the door of
loving action. By leaving aside the identity of the wounded
man and by portraying the Samaritan traveller as one who
performs the law (and so as one whose actions are
consistent with an orientation to eternal life), Jesus has
nullified the worldview that gives rise to such questions
as, ―who is my neighbour?‖ The purity-holiness matrix has
been capsized. And, not surprisingly in the Third Gospel,
neighbourly love has been concretized in care for one who
is, in this parable, self -evidently a social outcast .
(wiki/Good_Samaritan, 2011) ―Jesus ended up saying, this
was the good man, this was the great man, because he
had the capacity to project the ―I‖ into the ―thou,‖ and to
be concerned about his brother.‖ (King, 1968) Klyne
Snodgrass writes "On the basis of this parable we must
deal with our own racism but must also seek justice for,
and offer assistance to, those in need, regardless of the
group to which they belong." (Snodgrass, 2008)

How can I be a loving neighbour?

Desiring to justify himself the lawyer reveals his
insincerity by asking a n improper question ; ―who is my
neighbour?‖ (Luke 10:29 , 2011) The lawyer was trying to
exclude responsibility for others by making some people
―non-neighbours.‖ A more appropriate question would be,
―How can I be a loving neighbour?‖ Culturally, it would
have been unthinkable for a Samaritan to help a Jew thus
Jesus makes the additional point that to love one's
neighbour involves showing care and compass ion even to
those with whom one would not normally have any
relationship. (Powell, 2009) Although the Jews of Jesus'
day had no time for the 'half -breed' people of Samaria,
Jesus never spoke disparagingly about them, and held a
kindly view of Samaritans. (wiki/Good_Samaritan, 2011)

Martin Luther King, Jr. often spoke of this parable,

contrasting the rapacious philosophy of the robbers, and
the self-preserving non -involvement of the priest and
Levite, with the Samaritan's coming to the aid of the man
in need. King also extended the call for neighbourly
assistance to society at large: ―On the one hand we are
called to play the Good Samaritan on life's roadside; but
that will be only an initial act. One day we must come to
see that the whole Jericho road must be transformed so
that men and women will not be constantly beaten and
robbed as they make their journey on life's highway. Tr ue
compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it is
not haphazard and superficial. It comes to see that an
edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. ‖
(King, 1968)

The Golden Rule

Almost all religions teach ‗The Golden Rule ‘ or ethic of
reciprocity is a maxim, an ethical code, or a morality, that
essentially states that ―one should treat others as one
would like others to treat oneself . (Golden Rule, 2010)
The concept of a person being under an obligation to care
for another person - that one should love one s neighbour
as he or she would love themselves and as God has loved
us (by sacrificing Himself to enable our redemption ) is
presented in the parable which sets out the religious and
moral doctrine which teaches that in order to love ―thy
neighbour as thyself‖ one must show compassion towards
all other people. (LRC, 2009) Human beings will flourish
only through the change of thinking about humanity rather
than just through solving technological problems or
reducing carbon footprints. Compassion, true suffering
with persons, is a central building block for personal
organizations and global flourishing. The self -critical and
collective consciousness of Good Samaritanism is essential
to global commerce . (Lai-Ling Lam, 2010)

Conclusion
Therefore , imagined communities and human beings in the
future global economy will be sustained only when people
think they have responsibility toward their neighbours.
Importantly, l ike the Good Samaritan, t his responsibility
must not be based on accountability, b ut on empathy.
(Lai-Ling Lam, 2010) It is not a question of who my
neighbour is but rather showing unconditional love – not
prejudiced by race, cultural group or worthiness of the
object of love. The question shouldn‘t be ― who is my
neighbour?‖ but ―To whom and HOW should love be
shown?‖ In order for future global commerce to succeed a
major shift in mind -set and worldview must take place.
It‘s not a matter of what we can get out of it but rather
how can we better serve other s [all people]. (Miskin,
2011)

Tutu – Calvin – King

―Love your neighbour ‖

Works Cited
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