I have written about the characters in the Parable of the Good Samaritan whom we might call “the passersby.” I am drawn to them by several elements. For a moment, let us concentrate on the fact that there are “two” of them. The telling highlights the common action of both of them: they saw the victim and they passed by on the other side (Lk 10:31-32).  One can wonder if the sentences might even suggest that they changed sides of the road to avoid the victim.

The use of numbers in the Scriptures can sometimes capture our attention.

Remember the story of the widow’s mite:

[Jesus] sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, “Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood. (Mk 12:41-44)

Notice that the widow put in two coins.  She could have contributed one coin and still been generous, but she gives everything.  Her action causes Jesus to summon his disciples and be attentive to her lesson.  The “two” drives the teaching home.

Remember the story of the ten lepers whom Jesus heals and how the story concludes as the one leper returns to thank Jesus:

Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” (Lk 17:17-18)

Do the numbers have meaning here and suggest how often we are not grateful or unheedful for the many gifts that come our way?  Could it be nine out of ten times?

How about the widow whose only son had died (Lk 7:12). Or the six stone water jars, each holding twenty to thirty gallons.  These were “filled to the brim” and Jesus turned the water into wine at the Wedding Feast of Cana (Jn 2:6-10).  (A lot of wine!)  Or the amount of bread and fish left over after the feeding of the people at the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 14:17-21).

And so, back again to the two passersby in the Good Samaritan parable.  Do they suggest that we can often be careless in our attention to the needy and afflicted among us?  Two out of three times?  We also note that these passersby are a Levite and a Priest.  And so, it is not just the ordinary Jewish person who is passing by, but religious representatives of the faith, people who should know how to act.  A leadership.  The parable might invite us to consider to whom we look for leadership in leading a good life.  The whole story of the Good Samaritan arises when a “scholar of the law” seeks answers from Jesus.  He, too, needs to be instructed.

Yes, a lesson in this story can emerge regarding our need to choose wisely and carefully in the pursuit of a spiritual and social focus.  Even a majority opinion does not offer enough of an assurance of the correct direction.  Many good leaders in the Church can give us guidance.  We should seek to be changed by their teaching even as we seek to attend to the victims among us.  On the World Day for the Poor on November 17, 2024, Pope Francis has a word for us:

“Christian hope, fulfilled in Jesus and realized in his kingdom, needs us and our commitment, needs our faith expressed in works of charity, needs Christians who do not look the other way.”