The Parable

Of The

Good Samaritan

By

The Twelve Apostles

Parable Of The Good Samaritan
And Jesus stood again within the temple courts and taught. A master of the law was sent to question Him that he might find a cause to censure and accuse Him of a crime. He said, “Lord, tell me what to do that I may have eternal life?”
And Jesus said, “You know the law; what does it say?”
The lawyer answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind, and you shall love your neighbour as yourself.”

And Jesus said, “Lo, you have answered well; this do and you shall live.”
The lawyer said, “My neighbour, who is he?”
And Jesus said, “A man was going from Jerusalem to Jericho, and lo, he met with robbers on the way, who beat him, robbed him of his goods, and left him bleeding by the way. A Pharisee was going down that way; he saw the wounded man; but then he had no time to lose; he passed by on the other side. A Levite came and saw the man; but he was loath to soil his sacerdotal robes, and he passed by. A lawyer on his way to Jericho observed the dying man, and then he said, ‘If I could make a shekel I might help the man; but he has nothing left to give, I have no time for charity,’ and he passed on.

“And then a stranger from Samaria came that way; he saw the wounded man; his heart was touched with pity, and he stopped, dismounted from his horse, revived the man, and placed him on his horse and took him to an inn and charged the keeper of the inn to nurse him back to strength. He gave the keeper all the money that he had and said, ‘Your charges may be more than this, but care for this unfortunate man, and when I come again I will pay all,’ and then he went his way.

“Now, master of the law, which of these four was neighbour unto him who fell among the thieves?”
The lawyer said, “The man who showed him mercy; he who cared for him.”
And Jesus said, “Go on your way and likewise do, and you shall live.”

And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

He said to him, "What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?"

So he answered and said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbour as yourself.'"

And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live."

But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbour?"

Then Jesus answered and said: "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, 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. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.' So which of these three do you think was neighbour to him who fell among the thieves?"

And he said, "He who showed mercy on him."

Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

Explanations

It is true that it is not everybody that should touch the priest, because he was going to the altar. If he had by passed the victim, because of his rites of holiness, Jesus Christ would have said so.

The priest supposed to place human life above going to the altar.

He goes to the altar to represent himself and his fellow people of God.

If all the people of God die, whom shall he represent?

He should place human life above rites of holiness, because the law is meant for man, for the good and wellbeing of humanity. If he had no time for the victim, he should have sent some other people to care for the victim.

God looks at two things, when considering and judging a case. One is the heart with which the person does something. He considers the person’s intentions.

Son of man, those people you trust in, those people you think that they have the greatest heart of mercy, they do not go into the spirit. They know nothing. The priest and Levi did not help, not because of their rites of holiness. If it were because of their rites of holiness, Jesus Christ would have said it in the story. Or, Jesus Christ would not have said anything about them, at all. Their heart, intention, was what God considered.

The priests are exalted in position. They are respected, and they serve as role models. People hear and obey their words. But the law is meant for man. Therefore, wherever the law will put a man in danger or unnecessarily to death, people should use wisdom to do the needful, to save lives and to rescue people in danger. And here are some examples:

One, if a house collapsed on a family on the Sabbath Day, people should do work to rescue the entrapped family from rubbles.

Two, if a sick person needs an urgent operation on a Sabbath Day, in order to stay alive, the medical doctors and nurses are free to do work by performing the operation to save life.

Three, if terrorists attack a group on the Sabbath Day, and the only way for the group to escape is by travelling a long distance in a vehicle, the group is free to travel the long distance, despite the fact that travelling long distances is not allowed on the Sabbath Day.

And four, if the enemies attack a Sabbath city on the Sabbath Day, the Sabbatharians in that city have the right to do work, by fighting to defend themselves on that Sabbath Day.