When God asks Jonah to go east to Nineveh, Jonah resists and flees west. Perhaps Jonah has reservations about going to the city of the Assyrians, a people who had previously attacked the Israelites. Perhaps Jonah is afraid to do the difficult work of a prophet. Whatever the reason, he is uncomfortable with God's call and runs away.

There is a similar awkward tension in the story of the Good Samaritan. The priest and the Levite knew that something needed to be done when they saw the man lying on the road. If nothing else, there is a duty to bury the dead. Yet, they are uncomfortable with this call that arises in the midst of their lives. They carry on with their own business.

The Samaritan, too, has somewhere to go and things to do. Yet his compassion overcomes his inhibitions. He stops and takes time to tend to the needs of his neighbour. He can't heal all his wounds, but he does what he can to help.

Eventually, God is able to bless others through Jonah and the Samaritan. First, however, each of these people must overcome their fears and bravely respond to the invitation of God in the concrete circumstances of their lives.