Parable of the Good Samaritan

“But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ So which of these do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves? And he said, ‘He who showed mercy on him.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’ “ (Luke 10:35-37, NKJV) [Read Luke 10:25-37]

The context in which Jesus gave the parable of the Good Samaritan is of importance. “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” An expert in the Jewish law, testing Him, asked Jesus this question. It is interesting to note that the Pharisees held a belief in life after death while the Sadducees did not. The lawyer could quickly quote Leviticus 19:18 when Jesus asked him what the law taught: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27; see also Deut. 6:5 and Lev. 19:18). Then the lawyer asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29).

This parable is very familiar. A traveler fell among thieves and was left almost dead beside the road between Jerusalem and Jericho—a well-traveled road. Both a priest and a Levite passed by, not assisting the man. Then came the Samaritan, of a despised race. He had no obligation to help the man. But he showed mercy, binding up his wounds, pouring on oil, giving him wine, taking him to an inn, caring for him overnight, and the next day leaving instructions and money for the innkeeper to care for the man, with the promise that whatever more he spent on his care, the innkeeper would be reimbursed by the Good Samaritan. A Jewish expert in the law would not expect a despised Samaritan to be so compassionate. Neither would it be complimentary for him to be given as an example of how the astute lawyer should act. But the lawyer could only answer in truth that the one who showed mercy was the neighbor. “Go and do thou likewise,” is Jesus command to the lawyer and all of us.

An early church leader, Euthymius, in his writings gives this allegorical interpretation of the parable of the Good Samaritan: The wounded man is Adam and his offspring. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho represents the fall of man from God’s grace. The thieves are the demons who attack and strip us of garments of goodness and virtue, the fear of God, and wound us and leave us to die in our sins. Man was left half-dead in that he was still immortal in soul but mortal in body. The priest represents the Mosaic law and the Levite the teachings of the prophets. The Good Samaritan represents Christ Himself. The inn is the church which receives every person who comes. The innkeeper is the leader of the church, whether he be bishop or minister. And the two coins left for the care of the wounded man (Adam—all men) represent the Old and New Testaments which minister to the healing of the soul-sick.

To Euthymius, this allegory of the Good Samaritan parable held much weight. To us who know to do right by those who are in great need along the highway of life, Christ is teaching that everyone who is hurting is our neighbor. He demonstrates in the parable of the Good Samaritan that we are to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. This is the Golden Rule in action. His story is a clarion call to every Christian: “Go and do likewise.”

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Thursday, September 9, 2010