1 IDENTIFICATION OF A NEIGHBOUR (LUKE 10:25-37) IN NIGERIAN MULTI-CULTURAL CONTEXT by REV.FR. DR. EZEOGAMEBA A.I. (ANSU) PREAMBLE: God, out of his goodness created humankind (Adam) in his own image and likeness, male and female he created them (Gen 1:27). God after creating them, he blessed them saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that move upon the earth” (Gen. 1:28). As mankind continued to live as was commanded, they turned inwards to subdue and dominate one another. Man against woman; village against village, town against town; state against state; region against region and worst of all tribe against tribe. This domination can come in the form of “stronger persons” dominating the “weaker ones,” “the stronger families” dominating “weaker families,” or “the stronger tribes” dominating “weaker tribes” etc. Jesus Christ when he came as God made man, he noticed these divisions among mankind hence on his last supper with his apostles he prayed, “That they may be one” (John.17: 11). He said it at the last supper to show how dear that unity is to his heart. St. Paul in trying to re-echo Jesus’ teaching among the Corinthians says, “Has Christ been divided?” (1Cor1:13). Whenever you gather among yourselves as Christians, there should be neither Jew nor Gentile, male or female, you are all one before God (Gal 3:28). The story of Good Samaritan is one of the ways through which Christ tried to tell us that we ought to look at one another fundamentally as image and likeness of God. The presence among Christians of tribal sentiments and loyalty to one’s ethnic group must be a scandal of great proportion to all of us who claim to be the agents for spreading Christ’s kingdom of love, and brotherhood in the world. Since we are now the authentic image of God, there ought not to be any form of division among us. Reading Pauline letters reveal that humanity is divided into two major groups namely Jews and Gentiles (Rom 3:29-30; Gal 2:11-21; 3:26-29). This fact is also identified even in the Gospels. Within these major groups there are sub-divisions. There are also the Jews and Samaritans as opposing groups, there are circumcision party (Gal 2:12) and uncircumcision party. Among the Jews we have also the priests, and Levites who take care of worship. Members of each group look at themselves as neighbours and never neighbour to those outside their group. Because of class bias, there is injustice and disregard for others. In Nigerian society we have such factions, which range from religious faction to ethnic or cultural factions. Even among people of the same religious groups there are also discriminations of one kind or the other. The neighbourly care depends on which faction you belong. Jesus in his radical sayings and actions suggested that he proclaimed a kingdom that embraces men and women rather than Jew and Gentile, Hausa or Yoruba, Igbo or Ibibio, etc (Mark 11:15, Luke 10:30-35). It was the problem of who should I take as a neighbour, whether I should regard my neighbour to be a member of my family, ethnic group or from my own faith. Jesus answered this through the story of the ‘Good Samaritan.’ Which can only come about from subtitle change in the heart of the individual men and women.1 So the problem is: do we see other people’s problems and attend to them irrespective of where the person is coming from. Is our heart open to other people’s hurt? Are we interested in other people’s affairs without minding from where they come from? Let us listen to Jesus in Luke 10:25-37 and watch our prejudices. The aim of this study is to know whether we can use the Samaritan story as was used by Jesus to solve the problem of 'who is my neighbour,' cultural, tribal or ethnic bickering and religious riots in Nigeria. It is believed that after following this write-up, one will be able to turn the search light of discernment within our own various lives. Finally we ought to transcend our 2 various cultures just as the Good Samaritan did (Luke 10:25-32), also as Ruth and Boaz did (Ruth 2:11-12; 4:1)2. When one looks at Nigeria and its composition as a country, one discovers various ethnic groups with varying cultures; one also sees different religious groups: Islam, Christianity and ATR as the three most dominant religions. The multi-cultural and religious groups reveal that Nigeria is endowed with both human and natural resources. And these numerous human and natural resources have not been fully utilized simply because of cultural differences and religious differences that exist. If one is a good person and wants to aspire to the highest office in the land, one’s hope will be dashed if one comes from the minority group. The question is not what are you? But from where? Hence the argument of this write up is that, if awareness is created collectively and individually that we all are fundamentally human beings and Nigerians; and only secondarily and accidentally members of that cultural group or the other, then there will be a meaningful progress in this nation. If we look at one another without prejudices but look at one another as an image and likeness of God; then progress and development will be ours and authentic neighbourliness will be experienced and enjoyed by all. In Luke 10:25-37 Jesus sets out to tell us how to love and how to be a neighbour to everyone without discrimination. The area of the above study is the Nigerian nation where we have various ethnic nationalities that seem to oppose one another. Where there are also various religious affiliations, each claiming to be more authentic than the other. Our study shall throw light on various cultural and religious groups in Nigeria. We shall be faithful to this area of concentration but application of our findings and suggestions can be extended to wherever human beings are found. Design of the Study The work is divided into six subheads. First is the preamble. Second is the definition of terms. Third deals with what others have said about Luke 10:25-37. Fourth is the background of Lucan gospel in the light of Luke 10:25-37. It also looks at the relationship that exists between the Jews, and Samaritans; Priests and Levites on ritual purity, and how Jesus made use of that relationship as he taught the people. Fifth brings us face to face with the Nigerian multi-cultural context. It shall look at the relationship that exists between Igbos, Yorubas, Hausas, and other ethnic groups in Nigeria, also the relationship that exists between the Christians and Moslems and other religious organizations in Nigeria. We shall see how the teachings of Luke 10:25-37 apply to them. Sixth is the evaluation and the conclusion. 2. Definition of Terms Good Samaritan The question is: who is a Samaritan and what is ‘Good’ about him? “Samaria” is originally a Greek name. The capital of the Northern kingdom, established by Omri about 880 (1Kgs 16:24). It gave its name to the surrounding environs (Luke 17:11; John 4:4-5; Acts 8:1-8). After the deportation of 722BC, its population was a mixture of races (2kgs 17:5-6, 24) it was destroyed in 108 B.C; it was renovated in 30BC with the name Sebaste. Because of that mixture of races, in the first century the Samaritans were treated as heretics, legally impure (Luke 9:52, John 4:9; 8:48). In Luke 9:52-56 there is a typical case of discrimination; such is also noticed in John 4: 9. The Jews called them “halfbreeds.”3 The Samaritans because of the above information are rarely called “Good.” For the Jews, they are always “Bad.” The Oxford Dictionary of Christian Church, defines the Good Samaritan thus, “He is the Samaritan of the parable in Luke 10:25-37 who, in contrast to the priest and Levite who ‘passed by on the other side’, tended the traveller who had fallen among thieves on his way from Jerusalem to Jericho and provided hospitality for him at an inn. His actions illustrate the Christian response to the question: who is my neighbour (Luke 10:29)?”4 One can rightly say that a Good Samaritan is one who has distinguished himself/herself from his/her cultural and religious background and embraces the real spirit of Christ in words and deeds. Multi-Culture 3 If one understands the meaning of culture then the meaning of ‘multi’ can easily be inferred. As far as definition of culture is concerned no single definition has yet won universal acceptance. This write up shall then choose the ones that will throw light on the topic under study. The biologist Paul Sears writes that culture is, “The way in which the people in any group do things, make and use tools, get along with one another and with other groups, the words they use, and the way they use them to express thoughts, and the thoughts they think.”5 For Edward B. Taylor "Culture . is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as member of society."6 What is very clear from the above is that culture is learned rather than transmitted by the genes, which pass on biological inheritance from the two parents.