The Parable of the Good Samaritan
Is a one-at-a-time story.
It was an interaction
Between two people.
And because of that,
It is a love story.
I suppose that if Christ had something else in mind,
It might have been something other than
A one-at-a-time story.
It might have been a help-them-all story.
The good Samaritan, just as likely,
Might have started a 501c3
With the lofty goal
Of seeing to it that not one traveler
Perish by the wayside.
But then it would have been
Another kind of story,
And not one story,
Two stories,
The story of the founder
And the story of the recipient.
“I founded a corporation,” the founder says.
“And we helped lots of people.”
“I filled out the papers,” the Samaritan says.
“And they were very prompt
To render me their service.”
Yes, it would be a different thing altogether
If Christ had had something else in mind
Besides a one-at-a-time story.
But I am not so sure
We could call it
A love story.
And I think I like Christ’s story better.
