If you think about it, the Parable of the Good Samaritan is the prophecies of Amos told from the inside out. Instead of future catastrophe caused by a refusal to love God and our neighbors, the loss and suffering are already here: right in front of us. The man is a victim of those Amos condemned: those who do not love and who refuse to be held accountable.
Allen Vander Meulen, July 13, 2025
The themes this morning’s readings have in common are of Samaritans, strangers, loss, and restoration.
Northern Israel, where Amos prophesied, was known as Samaria. The Samaritans of Jesus time (and even today) claim descent from those left behind in the devastated land after Samaria was conquered and most of its people exiled in about 720 BC.
In Jesus’ parable, the stranger is a Samaritan. In Amos, the stranger is Amos himself. Amos is the earliest of the 12 minor prophets. (“Minor” because their books are short, not because anyone thought them unimportant.) Amos is the model for prophetic ministry that all of his successors followed, including John the Baptist and Jesus.
Amos ministered in Samaria about 25 or 30 years before it was conquered, shortly after the first Olympics were held in Greece; and about the time legend says Rome was founded.
The Kingdoms of Samaria and Judah were both at the height of their power, wealth, and influence. Things were good – the borders were secure. People were getting rich. The land was at peace.
But Amos is a gloomy guy … don’t invite him to a party! He prophesied the unthinkable: that their glorious and wealthy Kingdom would be destroyed by the Assyrians.
Continue reading “Sermon: Amos and the Good Samaritan”
Do you remember, when we were kids, when someone whom we sometimes barely knew approached us in class, on the playground, or maybe even at church, and said “<So and So> just said something terrible about you!” or maybe “Did you hear that <So and So> just said or did some unimaginably awful thing?!”
The Here and the Hereafter 