Window 21: The Good Samaritan
The twenty-first window in the Creation and the New Creation series of windows at the church of Saints Leonard and Fergus, Dundee.
After the last window with its many images, this next one, Window 21: The Good Samaritan, is much simpler and contains a straightforward message while continuing the rich autumnal golds, russets and reds in the Celtic-style lattice background pattern. As its name implies, it focuses on the parable of the Good Samaritan and belongs to the Ministry of Jesus theme (forthcoming) that weaves its way around these windows.
In this second moral tale in the windows, a lawyer asks Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life. After Jesus tells him that he should love God and love his neighbour as himself, the lawyer asks, ‘and who is my neighbour?’ By way of an answer, Jesus tells the following story: a traveller gets attacked by robbers and is left, half dead, on the roadside. A priest walking by, noticing the man’s plight, crosses the road to avoid him, then a Levite does the same. Then a Samaritan comes to where the poor fellow is lying and takes pity on him, bandaging his wounds and taking him to an inn where he can be cared for properly. Jesus asks the lawyer, ‘which of these three, do you think, was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?’ The lawyer answers, ‘The one who showed him mercy’ and Jesus tells him to ‘Go and do likewise’ (Luke 10.25-37).
Ninewells Hospital, Dundee.
Window 21: The Good Samaritan.
In this window, Ninewells Hospital in Dundee takes pride of place, an emblem of the compassion and never-ending work of those with
a vocation to the caring professions. Such people do not choose who they care for, they minister to whoever needs their attention. Featuring an ambulance, a sign to the maternity wing and a mobile blood transfusion unit, Dad gave this image a simple 1960s feel to reflect the fact that construction of the building project began in 1964.
Below the main image is a sensitively portrayed painting of a man in a wheelchair. This is Dad’s own design, but with a Picasso influence.
At the bottom of the window are three honeybees in a little vignette of the Good Samaritan parable. One bee is coming to the aid of an injured bee, while another is seen flying away from the scene, pretending not to have noticed – look at her eyes cast skywards.
This act of kindness, is particularly impactful because Samaritans were traditionally disliked by Jews, yet it was a Samaritan and not the Jewish priest or Levite who stopped to help the robbed and injured Jew. The story informs us that likewise, we should show compassion and help those in need, whatever we think of them, and despite their social status, ethnicity or background.
The transom in this window (not pictured on this page) is empty of detail and the Celtic latticework background pattern has no meaning – it is simply a continuation of the background pattern of the rest of the window. As such, it is unique among these windows. Dad simply said that the being a Good Samaritan has never been his strong point and he didn’t know what else to include in the window.
A Picasso-esque man in a wheelchair.
Dad grew up in a strongly Christian family, where the Good Samaritan was held up as an exemplar of Christian life and virtue, which has always challenged him. He admits that he falls a long way short of being a Good Samaritan. Following ‘their prayer shall be in the work of their craft’ (Sirach 38.39, Douay-Rheims Bible), he has always maintained that spiritually, his work is his prayer and his offering to the world. While writing up this window I discovered that the Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote, ‘Beauty will save the world’ meaning that beauty can help save the world by inspiring people to strive for goodness and truth, and by connecting people to each other. I have included Dostoevsky’s words here first because I agree with him and am firmly of the belief that Dad has given much to the world in his beautiful stained-glass windows, and second because I thought it would amuse Dad, ever willing to play the fool, that the quote comes from the author’s novel, The Idiot.
The Good Samaritan parable in honeybees.