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Answer
The Parable of the Good Samaritan is prompted by and in response to a question posed to Jesus by a lawyer. In this instance, the lawyer would have been an expert in the Mosaic Law and not a modern-day court lawyer. The lawyer’s inquiry was, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” «And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? », (Luke 10:25). This question presented Jesus with an opportunity to clarify what His disciples’ relationship should be with their neighbors. The text mentions that the scribe (lawyer) had posed the question to Jesus as a test, but it does not suggest any hostility in the question. He might have simply been seeking information. However, the wording of the question does provide some insight into the spiritual state of the scribe. He was assuming that one must take action to attain eternal life. While this could have led Jesus to discuss matters of salvation, He took a different approach and emphasized our relationships and the essence of love.
Jesus responds to the question using what is known as the Socratic method; that is, answering a question with another question: “He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?’” «He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? », (Luke 10:26). By referring to the Law, Jesus guides the man to an authority they both acknowledge as truth, the Old Testament. Essentially, He is asking the scribe what Scripture says about this and how he interprets it. In doing so, Jesus avoids contention and positions Himself to evaluate the scribe’s response rather than the scribe evaluating His response. This steers the d
Discussion regarding Jesus’ intended lesson unfolds. The scribe responds to Jesus’ inquiry by citing Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. This mirrors the response Jesus previously provided to the same question in Matthew 22 and Mark 12.
In verse 28, Jesus confirms the correctness of the lawyer’s response. Jesus’ rejoinder acknowledges that the scribe has given a traditional (scripturally correct) answer. However, in verse 28, Jesus also conveys that this type of love necessitates more than just an emotional sentiment; it also entails traditional practice. The scribe would need to “practice what he preached.” Being an educated individual, the scribe recognized that he could not feasibly uphold that law, nor might he have desired to do so. There would always be individuals in his life whom he could not love. Consequently, he attempts to restrict the law’s directive by confining its scope and poses the question “who is my neighbor?” The term “neighbor” in Greek signifies “someone who is near,” while in Hebrew it denotes “someone with whom you have a connection.” This interpretation confines the term, referring to a fellow Jew and excluding Samaritans, Romans, and other foreigners. Jesus proceeds to share the parable of the Good Samaritan to rectify the scribe’s misconceptions about who his neighbor is and what his obligation is toward his neighbor.
The Parable of the Good Samaritan narrates the tale of a man journeying from Jerusalem to Jericho. Along the way, he is stripped of all his possessions, including his garments, and is brutally assaulted. That route was notoriously perilous, serving as a favored haunt for bandits and thieves. The next character Jesus introduces in His narrative is a priest. He provides no details about the priest but only recounts how the priest displayed no love or compassion for the man, neglecting to assist him and passing by on the opposite side of the road to avoid involvement. If anyone should have been acquainted with God’s law of love, it would have been the priest. By virtue of his position, he was expected to be a person of compassion.
Passion, desiring to help others. Unfortunately, “love” was not a word for him that required action on behalf of someone else. The next person to pass by in the Parable of the Good Samaritan is a Levite, and he does exactly what the priest did: he passes by without showing any compassion. Again, he would have known the law, but he also failed to show the injured man compassion.
The next person to come by is the Samaritan, the one least likely to have shown compassion for the man. Samaritans were considered a low class of people by the Jews since they had intermarried with non-Jews and did not keep all the law. Therefore, Jews would have nothing to do with them. We do not know if the injured man was a Jew or Gentile, but it made no difference to the Samaritan; he did not consider the man’s race or religion. The “Good Samaritan” saw only a person in dire need of assistance, and assist him he did, above and beyond the minimum required. He dresses the man’s wounds with wine (to disinfect) and oil (to soothe the pain). He puts the man on his animal and takes him to an inn for a time of healing and pays the innkeeper with his own money. He then goes beyond common decency and tells the innkeeper to take good care of the man, and he would pay for any extra expenses on his return trip. The Samaritan saw his neighbor as anyone who was in need.
Because the good man was a Samaritan, Jesus is drawing a strong contrast between those who knew the law and those who actually followed the law in their lifestyle and conduct. Jesus now asks the lawyer if he can apply the lesson to his own life with the question “So which of these three do you think was a neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” «Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? », (Luke 10:36). Once again, the lawyer’s answer is telling of his personal hardness of heart. He cannot bring himself to say the word “Samaritan.”
Ittan”; he refers to the “good man” as “he who showed mercy.” His hatred for the Samaritans (his neighbors) was so strong that he couldn’t even refer to them in a proper way. Jesus then tells the lawyer to “go and do likewise,” meaning that he should start living what the law tells him to do.
By ending the encounter in this manner, Jesus is telling us to follow the Samaritan’s example in our own conduct; that is, we are to show compassion and love for those we encounter in our everyday activities. We are to love others (vs. 27) regardless of their race or religion; the criterion is need. If they need and we have the supply, then we are to give generously and freely, without expectation of return. This is an impossible obligation for the lawyer, and for us. We cannot always keep the law because of our human condition; our heart and desires are mostly of self and selfishness. When left to our own, we do the wrong thing, failing to meet the law. We can hope that the lawyer saw this and came to the realization that there was nothing he could do to justify himself, that he needed a personal savior to atone for his lack of ability to save himself from his sins. Thus, the lessons of the Parable of the Good Samaritan are three-fold: (1) we are to set aside our prejudice and show love and compassion for others. (2) Our neighbor is anyone we encounter; we are all creatures of the creator and we are to love all of mankind as Jesus has taught. (3) Keeping the law in its entirety with the intent to save ourselves is an impossible task; we need a savior, and this is Jesus.
There is another possible way to interpret the Parable of the Good Samaritan, and that is as a metaphor. In this interpretation, the injured man is all men in their fallen condition of sin. The robbers are Satan attacking man with the intent of destroying their relationship with God. The lawyer is mankind without the true understanding of God and His Word. The priest is religion in an apostate condition. The Levite is legalism that instills prejudice.Into the hearts of believers. The Samaritan represents Jesus, who shows the path to spiritual well-being. While this explanation imparts valuable insights, and the similarities between Jesus and the Samaritan are remarkable, this interpretation shifts the focus to Jesus in a way that may not align with the original intention of the text. Hence, we can infer that the lesson conveyed by the Parable of the Good Samaritan is merely about understanding the essence of loving one’s neighbor.
