The Parable of the Good Samaritan

Vanellus said:

And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

29But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35And the next day he took out two denariic and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
Lk 10:25-37 ESV

I find almost amazing in this passage that the "who is my neighbour?" question implies that the victim of the attack would be the Samaritan The enmity between Jews and Samaritans is not just a Sunday school story but has sound historical basis. Reversing expectations was often used by Jesus and is a common biblical theme: "the last will be first", David the youngest child etc. The road between Jerusalem and Jericho is steep and full of bends: there are many hidden valleys which would be ideal for robbers to use in order to waylay travellers.

The expectation would have been that the third person was a layman and Jesus was making a kind of anti-clerical point. However, a key point of the parable is to establish the range of people included in the word "neighbour". The word can mean "friend" but more commonly anyone you come into contact with. Note that Jews and Samaritans were neighbours in the national sense. The role reversal enables Jesus to change the focus in his final question: not so much limits of whom one should love but the importance of love being active, practical and there being no limits on whom to love or from whom to receive love.

Now we're unlikely to meet on the Jericho road but in the milieu of the forum:

1. Who is your Samaritan? (Muslims, people with opposing political views, Catholic and Protestant?)
2. What is the equivalent of being attacked on the Jericho Road?
3. What is the equivalent of walking by on the other side?
4. What is the equivalent of binding up wounds i.e. showing mercy?

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All covered:

James 2
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.

Mark 12
31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Matthew 7
12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Luke 6
31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

Matthew 7
1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. ...

Philippians 2
3 Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ...

Ephesians 4
29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Vanellus said:

I find almost amazing in this passage that the "who is my neighbour?" question implies that the victim of the attack would be the Samaritan

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Jesus is very clear that the victim came "down from" Jerusalem. And the one who helps him is "a Samaritan". However the priest and Levite do not help the victim.

I see how Jesus is pointing out that the Samaritan does what is superior to how the priest and Levite act, because the Samaritan has compassion, while the priest and Levite act with conceit. Plus, if the person came "down from" Jerusalem, he might have been from Jerusalem and therefore socially acceptable to the priest and Levite; yet, the priest and Levite did not help him while the Samaritan who was despised by Jerusalem people helped a Jerusalem person . . . possibly. This would give a dimension very important, to this . . . since Jesus wants us to have compassion even on those who despise us and look down on us.

Jesus our Example on the cross was suffering and dying like He did, in order to help ones who despised and hated Jesus who is God's own Son. So, they had a major conceit problem. Yet, Jesus is so not conceited, that Jesus left Heaven itself in order to reach us and suffer and die for us, though He is so superior and He knew how even now we can love in a conceited way, by picking and choosing who we judge to be good enough for us to love.

I see He is contrasting the religious status priest and Levite who are self-righteous, with the non-religious Samaritan who is compassionate.

"if you love those who love you," Jesus says, "what reward have you?" in Matthew 5:46.

"And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." (Ephesians 5:2)