The Parable of the Good Samaritan
The Parable of the Good Samaritan is recorded in the Gospel of Luke:
“And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
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 bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.”
– Luke 10:30-35
Today’s Application of the Parable:
- The certain Samaritan is Jesus.
- The “certain man from Jericho” is us or the Church.
- The “priests & Levites” that passed him by are the Christians of today.
- The “Oil & Wine” that Jesus uses to HEAL his wounds is the Holy Spirit and the blood of Jesus.
- The “two pence” is what Jesus “Paid in full” at the cross of Calvary.
- The “inn” is the true Church.
The priest, the Levite, and the Samaritan had all been “near” to the traveler in his time of need, yet only one of them acted like a “neighbor.” Neighborliness is not so much a matter of proximity as it is the willingness to bear another’s burdens. Today, neighborliness is the practical expression of the principle of love for one’s fellow man (Luke 10:27).
Therefore, a man’s neighbor is simply anyone who needs his help. When Jesus asked who was the neighbor, the lawyer said, “He that did mercy.” Jesus replied, “Go, and do thou likewise.” In other words, if we wish to know true neighborliness, we need to go and pattern our conduct after that of the Good Samaritan.
This is the nature of true religion: “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8). “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27).
Today, our fellow men need to feel the clasp of a warm hand and fellowship with a kind heart. God permits us to come in contact with suffering and calamity in order to call us out of our selfishness. And it is for our own eternal good to practice true neighborliness whenever we have the opportunity to do so (Hebrews 13:2).
In His service,
BibleAsk Team
