February 12, 2008

 

Highlights of the Exegesis of The Parable of the Good Samaritan

 

Thesis: 

We must see ourselves as wounded and in need of healing.  We need Jesus to heal us; through the Church and Sacraments that He gave us.  The recognition of our need for healing is the beginning of Orthodox Spirituality.

 

·         As one of the most well-known parables, most people think this is just a story of good works.   St. John Chrysostom tells us this is more a story of the person who is wounded and the method by which he is healed.  The wounded is actually each one of us.  The Good Samaritan is actually Jesus who comes to find and heal us. 

 

·         We have been robbed, left naked, without clothing--a reference to Adam and Eve.

 

·         The inn is the Church and the oil and wine poured on the wounds are the sacraments of Holy Unction and Holy Communion, respectively.  The two silver coins are the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, the Word, that Jesus leaves for us from which to be nourished.  The innkeeper is St. Paul who explains the Word through his epistles.

 

·         The Levite who was known for his knowledge of the religious rules cannot save through the rules.  Likewise, the priest who represents someone who may hold a lofty title cannot save.  However, priests are not called to walk past you but rather offer you the oil, wine and coins.

 

·         Who are the robbers?  Relativism, greed, pride, etc...

 

·         Unless we see ourselves as wounded, we won’t seek the healing that Jesus gave us through the Church and the Sacraments.  We must realize that we are dead, and we must “die to ourselves”, that is, our ego and pride, in order to receive the “Resurrection and the Life”.

 

·         Once we recognize our need for healing, then we may not try to cover up what we know deep down are wounds, by the bandages of more money, more success, more materialism, more power, more degrees but with the bandages offered by Christ.

 

·         The more we are healed, the more we have in us to give of ourselves.  The way to fulfillment and to living life joyously is to give of ourselves.

 

·         The ultimate question of existence that we all should be asking is “What do I need to do to inherit eternal life”?   Christ urges the expert in the law to “go and do likewise” which means to imitate Christ.

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The Parable of the Good Samaritan

Luke 10:25-37 (NIV)

 25On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

 26"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"

 27He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'^[c]; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'^[d]"

 28"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."

 29But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

 30In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two silver coins^[e] and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'

 36"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"

 37The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."
      Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."