A Bible passage to which even non-Christians are familiar is the parable of the "Good Samaritan." In this parable, Jesus tells a story of a presumably Jewish man who was beaten by robbers and and left for dead along a road. Many people including a priest and Levite walked past the wounded man, not wanting to get involved in his plight. Along comes a Samaritan (significant because typically Jews would have nothing to do with Samaritans) who took pity, tended to the man's needs and paid for his lodging and care until his wounds were healed. Jesus tells his disciples (and us) to "go and do likewise."
Whenever I hear this parable, I see a very clear parallel between the man brutalized by robbers but ignored by community leaders, and modern infants who are brutalized through forced circumcision but ignored by society.
The Original Good Samaritan Parable
First, read the original passage as found in Luke 10:25-37.
The Greatest Commandment
There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test him and said, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read it?"
He said in reply, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."
He replied to him, "You have answered correctly; do this and you will live."
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
Jesus replied, "A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction,'Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.' Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers' victim?"
He answered, "The one who treated him with mercy."
Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
A Modern Variation
Let's rework the parable with a different scenario:
What if the assailants weren't robbers; but instead they were doctors?
What if the brutality didn't happen yet; but instead it was pending?
What if the victim wasn't a man; but instead it was a child?
Would those changes lessen the need to show compassion and save the victim?
Scenario #1
A newborn boy is laying snugly, curled up in his crib, resting from the struggles of birth only a few hours ago. A nurse takes him away from his parents, into a different room with other nurses and doctors. They strip the boy bare, lay him flat and exposed onto a stiff board, stretch out his arms and legs, and restrain him there. He is uncomfortable and confused. He starts to struggle against the restraint straps, but is unable to move. The boy begins to cry.
A nurse sets out a tray of clamps and scalpels, while the doctor starts manipulating the boy's left big toe, figuring out which tool would best remove the toenail, as is it is the local cultural custom to do. The boy starts to scream louder.
YOU are a technician from another wing of the hospital, but happen to walk into this scene on your way through to get supplies from the next room. You notice all this going on, and that the doctor has a pliers-like clamp in his hand, getting ready to shove and squeeze it under/onto the boy's toenail. You pause for a brief moment.
WHAT DO YOU DO?
Do you act as the priest?... Plug your ears, turn your head, and walk along the opposite side of the room, refusing to get involved because of fear of what might happen to your job if you say anything? After all, they are just toenails; who would miss those anyway?
Do you act as the Levite?... Shield your eyes, quickly back out of the room, and find a different route to your destination, because of fear of what social rejection you might experience if you say anything against the cultural tradition of toenail ablation. After all, better for it to be done now, when he won't remember it.
Do you act as the Samaritan?... Moved with compassion at the sight, you free the baby boy from the straps, cradle him in your arms until he stops fussing, take him back to his parents, and give them knowledge to raise their child without subjecting him to painful toenail removal, and pledging more support in the future if needed.
But removing toenails from an infant?! No one does that. Get real!
Okay, let’s get real. Let’s get VERY real.
Scenario #2
Similar scenario and setup as before: you walk into a room with a screaming baby helplessly restrained on a board. And nearby is a tray of clamps, scalpels, and some other really scary medical tools. But instead of the baby’s toenails the doctor is about to remove part of the boy’s penis.
Initially (and for several years if left alone) the boy's foreskin is naturally fused to the glans underneath, quite similar to how a fingernail is fused to the finger. Once the boy is restrained, the first step is to *break* apart this natural adhesion. Of course it is painful, just as jamming something under your fingernail would be painful. (See now why I started out with the toenail scene above?) Even with the "bloodless" or "cut-free" methods of circumcision, this painful step is unavoidable. Once the foreskin is loosened, there are a couple options to how the torture will proceed.
The doctor continues the procedure, causing this child tremendous pain and distress while part of his body is mutilated.
WHAT DO YOU DO?
This torture actually happens to hundreds of children daily across the United States. If you were a witness to it, would you have the courage and mercy of the Samaritan? Would you be able to stand up for that child and stop the circumcision from proceeding?
Now that you know what awaits a child in a circumcision room, would you care enough to talk to the child's parents before his birth, long before the child is even taken into that horrible operation?
Go And Do Likewise
"Go and do likewise," Jesus said. Those words are meant for us as much as they were for the scholar in the parable, and Jesus wasn't only referring to a man beaten along the road. He calls us to love each other; to treat each other with mercy and compassion. We are to stand up for the dignity of all victims or near-victims, regardless of age or gender. Even more importantly, we are called to prevent abuses (stand up and speak out) whenever possible, whether they be robbery, physical assault, forced toenail removal, genital mutilation, or anything else.
