The Parable of the Good Samaritan - Essay Example

?Running Head: INDUCTIVE STUDY The Parable The Parable of the Good Samaritan The Parable of the Good Samaritan Facts The Parable ofthe Good Samaritan that is found in Luke 10:25-37 (The New International Version) discusses the concept of what it means to be a neighbor. The story that is related is defined through a conversation that takes place between one of those who follow Jesus and the teacher Himself. The conversation begins with a man of the law asking Jesus what he can do to inherit eternal life. The conversation takes place as the man of the law places the question, but with an answer that can benefit those in the room when the question was asked. The man of law asks for an interpretation of the law. What is said by Jesus is told in the form of a story, which is known as the Parable of the Good Samaritan. The parable is not an explicit answer, but is an answer that provides the story in such a manner as to provoke thought and further conversation. This story is an essential form of teaching where the teacher poses the situation and the student draws from it the lesson. The story that Jesus tells is that of a man who is robbed and those who see his plight and their reactions. The first is a priest who walks to the other side of the road in order to avoid him. The second is a Levite who also walked to the opposite side of the road to stay uninvolved. The third is a Samaritan who provides the man with help. The Samaritan goes beyond simple help, giving him a ride to a village and asking an innkeeper to look after the robbed man until he is in health. During the process of providing health, the Samaritan bandaged his wounds, used oil and wine on him to help heal him, and let him ride on his donkey. He offers to pay the innkeeper for his service and any extra service that the robbed man may need. The question that Jesus, as the Great Teacher, poses to those hearing him is “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” (Luke:36). The lesson is taught through an example, but without providing the answer to those he is teaching. He expects that through His example, they will find the answer of their own accord. The location of the parable is identified by Hughes and Laney (2001) as the Jordan Valley which is a bit north of the Dead Sea. This route which runs through Wadi Qilt is filled with rocks and rugged terrain where robbers could ambush travelers. There is no specific time given for this story, and it is just as likely that it is a story of example rather than a related story from history. The location makes it likely that the three travelers who passed by the robbed man might be there, but allows for the significance of the Samaritan to shine through. The location is significant as it is a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho, which indicates that he is traveling from morality into lands of less. Hultgren (2004) relates the belief of Augustine who suggested that this descent represented man’s descent from what was holy and immortal to that which was not and was decidedly mortal. The road is a literal descent as it starts at Jerusalem which is at 2700 feet above sea level but ends at Jericho which resides at 850 feet below sea level. Interpretation Chapter ten of Luke begins by describing a mission that is given to seventy-two of Jesus’ followers. He sends them out to gather more believers through their various acts in His name. He expects an exchange from those the followers encounter. If they are welcomed, then they give the gifts that He has given them the power to give, but if they are rejected they are to make clear that they have rejected men of God who are on His mission. He says to them “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me” (Luke 10:16). In this case, when he gets to relating the parable, it can be said that he is relating the robbed man to his followers and those who accept them as neighbors as they are then given remedies for their needs. This can be put into context with John 13:34-35 which reads “"34. A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." While this passage seems to point to the disciples to love one another, when put into context with all of the concepts presented by Christ during his time of teaching, he was suggesting that all of his should not only love one another, but they should all love the community of human kind. From a Christocentric perspective it is clear that He wanted all His people to love each other and to care for each other when and where there was a need. The least likely man to be kind to the robbed man was the Samaritan as during that time Samaritans were not kindly thought of or respected (Hughes and Laney, 2001). Hultgren (2004) writes that “Samaritans were considered apostate: the sources show that they were universally regarded with contempt” (p. 98). The parable takes on more weight within the culture where it was first told because of this belief that the Samaritan was innately contemptible where the Levite and the Priest would have been expected to extend their hand to someone in need. This puts this back into context with John 13: 34-35 as the Samaritan was not a representation of Jesus’ direct culture, but of a culture that was considered ‘other’ and therefore unlikely to show such compassion. He showed that anyone could behave in a compassionate manner and be considered neighbors to others. In interpreting the value of the parable, there are a great deal of cultural issues that come to light that modern understandings might not easily grasp. A small example is that the oil and wine was for softening the wounds and then sterilizing them. As well, the denarius that was used to pay for the Inn would have been considered a day’s wage for a common laborer thus would have likely been a great deal of money for the Samaritan (Hultgren, 2004). Knowing these details shows that the Samaritan not only saw to the victim, but actively and aggressively gave aid. Through Consecrated Common Sense, it is clear that the logic conclusion of understanding this passage is through perceiving the ideas of helping neighbors, that all people are neighbors to one another and deserve consideration for their needs when they are down. Applications Hultgren (2004) states of the passage “The parable teaches that one cannot justify oneself by drawing distinctions between persons, deciding who is, and who is not one’s neighbor, and using the law to do that” (p. 100). Augustine of Hippo took the parable to mean something slightly different in that the Samaritan represented Christ who had come from heaven in order to be the neighbor to mankind and to heal the wounds that were made from sin (Van Fleteren & Schnaubelt, 2004). Both interpretations suggest that the divisions that human kind creates that prevents them from taking care of one another is against both Christ’s teachings and the example that he set by sacrificing himself for our sins. Looking at the world as it is today, with nations divided, borders in question, and the oppression of other nations often looked at from what seems to be far removed examinations, following this teaching has not been applied to modern concepts. While there are organizations that do provide aid to others, one has to wonder how the angry divisions of the Church and the strong sense of ‘otherness’ has become so prevalent. Often times it seems that the same people who promote the cause of Christianity are the same ones who want to close the borders, keep health care for the elite, and shovel the homeless off to other communities. The plight of the poor is often a platform on which blame for bad times is ladled on those who suffer as if they would rather suffer. The criminalization of poverty has become an issue of great debate in a nation where some of its citizens claim it was intended to be a Christian nation. Looking at the Parable of the Good Samaritan might bring the teachings of Christ back into His church. Being a good neighbor should be the first course of celebrating His teachings. References Van Fleteren, F., & Schnaubelt, J. C. (2004). Augustine: Biblical exegete. New York: Peter Lang. Hughes, R. B. & Laney, J. C. (2001). Tyndale concise Bible commentary. Wheaton, Ill: Tyndale House Publishers. Hultgren, A. J. (2004). The parables of Jesus: A commentary. Grand Rapids, Mich. [u.a.: W.B. Eerdmans. Read More