The parable of The Good Samaritan is well-known. Jesus told the story to show up the stupidity and hypocrisy of the religious leaders in Jerusalem. The parable illustrates how gaunt was compassion in the religious system of the time. The Bible said plainly, "Love thy neighbor". The hypocrites curled the lip at that, and sought to muddy the matter with a clever question, "And who is my neighbor?". Jesus answers with a simple story that makes the clever question look dumb indeed.

The parable of the Good Samaritan carries the last three of the seven themes, namely (5) God's kingdom is for all, (6) In God's kingdom the weak are strong, and (7) God looks on the heart.

The quality of heart portrayed in this parable is a heart of compassion, a heart that sincerely and impartially loves fellow men, and through this loves God (1Jn 4:7-12).

Luke 10:25-37

What Prompted the Parable?

Verses 25-30 and verses 36-37 record the background to the telling of the story. A certain lawyer asks Jesus a test question which Jesus fired right back at him. So he fired back another question that implied some kind of legal technicality in the definition of the word "neighbor" so as to allow one to exclude the most part of humanity from love.

The Parable as a Play

Verses 30-35 record the story in which there are five characters --leaving out the band of robbers and the beast of burden who are only extras. The five characters are, in order of appearance, the traveller robbed, a priest, a Levite, the good Samaritan, and an inkeeper. Only one of the four characters has any lines. The rest of the characters are understood through mime. In particular the priest and the Levite --the real villains in this story-- are not allowed to cover up their deeds with any high-sounding words or legal arguments. They are represented and judged by their actions alone, and this helps to give the parable its punch.

The People in the Parable

The traveller robbed. The steep rock-sided road from Jerusalem to Jericho was apparently favoured by robbers, so the experience of this victim would resonate with the listeners. Jesus puts no color on this man except the color of blood. All we know about him is that he is a victim left bleeding, dying, and helpless. Will another traveller discover him and rescue him?.

A priest. For a priest, religion was vocation. A priest led people in worship, conducted sacrifices of atonement for their sins, and taught them God's word. If anyone should be merciful and loving and willing to help the weak, it should be he. How fortunate for the fallen traveller, that a priest should be the first to find him! But no, the priest keeps his distance and walks on by. Perhaps he thought the man might already be dead. According to the law if he touched a dead man he would become unclean. Best to avoid that, and let someone else do the dirty work.

A Levite. Well fortunately for the victim, along comes someone who is used to the dirty work. A Levite. The descendants of Levi were appointed as workers in the temple. But apparently there is dirty work to be done, and dirty work to be avoided, and this Levite also passed the victim by.

The good Samaritan. A good Samaritan, in the mind of the Jews, was a contradiction in terms. "The Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans" (Jhn 4:9). Samaritans are scum. There's no such thing as a good Samaritan. This was a centuries-old prejudice. Its roots went far back as the split of the nation of Israel into two kingdoms, whose capitals and religious centers were Jerusalem versus Samaria. Yet of the three who could have shown mercy, two Jews and one Samaritan, it was the latter who did so. That was pretty pointed. It is almost as though Jesus were saying, "Put that in your phylacteries you hypocrites!"

An inkeeper. This person, who assists in taking care of the victim, would also be despised by the religious elite as "a publican and a sinner". Yet this man offers his inn, and all good care, to the man in need, and does so at a fair price. He got paid for his service, so Jesus does not include him in the choice when he asks the lawyer "Which of the three do you think showed mercy?". But at least the inkeeper was willing to be of service.

The Point of the Parable

Verse 36-37 give the main idea of the parable. The lawyer had asked, "And who is my neighbour?". Now Jesus, having told the parable asks, "Which of the three proved to be a neighbour to the man who fell among thieves?" The lawyer hadn't missed the point of the parable. "I suppose the one who showed mercy to him." And Jesus replies, "Go and do the same". Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. Damned are the unmerciful no matter how religious they may be. God looks on the heart, and he does not much care whether the exterior is Samaritan or Levite or any other outward distinction. God discriminates only on the basis of whether the inner person is humble and just, merciful and kindly.

Home | Topics | List | Next