"Each element in this allegory corresponds significantly with an important step in the journey of all mankind toward eternal life. The parable of the good Samaritan is not only a story about a man who goes down to Jericho, but also about every person who comes down to walk upon this earth.
"A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves.
"A certain man. The early Christian writers identified this man as Adam. This connection may have been more obvious in ancient languages than in modern translations. In Hebrew the word adam means "man," "mankind," or " men," as well as "Adam," as a proper name…
Went down. Chrysostom saw this part of the story as representing the descent of Adam from paradise, the Garden of Eden, into this world—from glory to an absence of glory, from life to death…
From Jerusalem. The story depicts the person going down from Jerusalem, not from any ordinary city or place. Because of the sanctity of the Holy City, early Christian interpreters readily found significance in this element in the allegory, and Eligius said it represented "man's high state of immortality."…
To Jericho. The person in the story is on the road down to Jericho, which is readily identified as this world or, as Eligius said, "this miserable life."…
Fell. This may refer either to the fall of Adam or to individual human failings…
Among thieves. The early Christian writers saw here a reference to "the devil," "the rulers of darkness," or "evil spirits or false teachers."…
"Which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
"Stripped of his raiment. The early Christians sensed that Jesus spoke of something important here. Origen and Augustine saw the loss of this garment as a symbol of mankind's loss of immortality and incorruptibility…
Wounded. The early Christian writers consistently mentioned here references to the pains of life, the travails of the soul, the afflictions due to diverse sins and vices…
Half dead. The robbers depart, leaving the person exactly "half dead." We may see in this detail a reference to the first and second deaths. The person had fallen, had become subject to sin, and thus had suffered the first death, becoming subject to mortality…
"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.
"By chance. In other words, the arrival of the Jewish priest is not the result of a conscious search on his part…
A certain priest. The early Christian commentators saw this as a reference to the law of Moses or to the priesthood of the Old Testament, which did not have the power to lead to salvation…
A Levite. The priest and the Levite were seen by early commentators as representing the law and the prophets of the Old Testament, which Jesus came to fulfill…
"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.
"Samaritan. The early Christians clearly saw the good Samaritan as Christ himself…
As he journeyed. The text may imply that the Samaritan (representing Christ) is purposely looking for people in need of help…
Had compassion. This is one of the most important words in the story. It speaks of the pure love of Christ…
Went to him. The injured traveler cannot move, but the Samaritan comes to succor him in his hour of greatest need…
Bound up his wounds…Latter-day Saints will understand that the repentant person is bound to the Lord through covenants…
Oil. A lotion of olive oil would have been very soothing…his may refer to many ordinances or priesthood blessings: the initial ordinance of anointing (Ps. 2:2; 18:50; 20:6), the use of consecrated oil to heal the sick (James 5:14), the gift of the Holy Ghost (often symbolized by the anointing with olive oil), or the final anointing of a person to be or become a king or a queen…
Wine. The Samaritan pours his wine into the open wounds to cleanse them. Later Christian writers saw this wine as the word of God, something that stings. But the earliest Christian interpretation associates the wine with the blood of Christ…
"And set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
"Set him on his own beast. Christ, fulfilling prophecy, bears "our sicknesses"… Although the text does not specify what kind of beast is involved, it may well be an ass, prefiguring a sharing of the Lord's beast of triumphal entry, with Christ allowing each person whom he rescues to ride as the king himself…
Inn. For the early Christians this element readily symbolized God's church. An inn was a public house open to all…
Took care of him. The Samaritan stays with the injured person and takes care of him personally the entire first night. He does not turn the injured person over too quickly to the innkeeper; he stays with him through the darkest hours…
"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.
"On the morrow. The early commentators saw here the prophecy that Jesus would be resurrected, that he would come again after his resurrection…
Two pence. Early on, the elders saw these coins (which would have borne the images of Caesar) as symbolizing the Father and the Son, the one being the identical image of the other…
Innkeeper. The early commentators saw the innkeeper as the apostle Paul or the other apostles and their successors…
When I come again. The Samaritan openly promises to come again, a ready allusion to the Second Coming of Christ…
Repay or reward. The innkeeper is promised that the Samaritan will cover all the costs, "whatever you expend."
"Understanding this parable allegorically adds an eternal perspective to its moral message and spiritual guidance. This reading positions deeds of neighborly kindness within an expansive awareness of where we have come from, how we have fallen into our present plight, and how the binding ordinances and healing love of the promised Redeemer and the nurture of his Church can rescue us, provided we live worthy of the reward."
Scripture of the Day: Proverbs 3:12
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