The Good Samaritan: FCHC’s Commitment to Serving Our Neighbors

God speaks to us through stories, and in Luke 10:30-37 Christ shares the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.  A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.  So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.  But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.  He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.  The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

When Jesus tells us to “Go and do likewise” this is a command, not a suggestion. We live in a time where our country is very politically charged, where the rules of federal healthcare funding seem to change on a weekly basis. With the current administration, many of these changes target people based on their citizenship status.

At FCHC, we’re blessed to go without federal funding and thus, have no fear in our own operational income from these changes. The impact these new changes to heath care funding will have on us is that we expect an increase in undocumented patients who can no longer receive care at a federally funded clinics in the area.

“Go and do likewise” is a command, not a suggestion.

Undocumented immigration is a tricky topic with no easy answer. It’s unjust to drive people from their homes just as it’s unjust to have a system that encourages businesses to extort the labor of their employees by not paying them minimum wage. People experience unspeakable horrors in their home countries and during their journey here, only to find that the lack of documentation creates further barriers to being able to succeed and build a life outside of poverty. Ultimately, poverty is relative and experiencing poverty in the U.S. is far better than experiencing poverty in less fortunate countries.

In our community and all others, it’s not our job to find a solution. No matter how we feel about systems, politics or laws, as Christians we’re called to care for anyone we find on the road who’s suffering.

As community members, it’s our duty to act as the Good Samaritan, but as an organization, FCHC strives to be like the innkeeper. When someone is brough to us who’s sick or hurt, we care for them regardless of who they are or where they came from. We look after them, nursing them back to health with little regard to the cost because we know that the Samaritan will be back to ensure it doesn’t fall back on his neighbor in need.

“Go and do likewise” is a command, not a suggestion.