Correspondence:
The Parable of The Good Samaritan:
Dear brother Chris
Greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Thank you for the Waymark booklet, The Parable of the Good Samaritan – It’s Divine Meaning. Brother Phipps makes some helpful points with regard to some spiritual lessons in his explanation of the parable. However, in seeking to establish the background to the parable he does not include the vital Old Testament background of the Samaritans.
a) 2Chronicles 28:6-15 records the mercy of the Samaritans to their brethren (Judah) was due to intervention of Oded, a prophet of the Lord.
b) 2 Kings 6:13-23 records the mercy of the Samaritans to the Syrian captives, again by the direction of the a prophet of the Lord, Elisha.
Both these incidents predate the Assyrian invasion and the subsequent mixed race population of the Northern Kingdom.
At the time of the prophets Elisha and Oded the Samaritans were “brethren” to Judah and therefore of the seed of Abraham. They were directed by the Lord to show mercy to the captives, both to their brethren (Judah) and to those outside the Covenants of promise (Syrians).
The teaching of the parable was therefore particularly pointed for the Jews of Jesus time, because prior to the Assyrian invasion, which took away the Northern Kingdom, the Samaritans were taught by the Lord to show mercy to their neighbours. self righteous Jews of Jesus day were exhorted to show mercy to their neighbour, whoever that may be.
The parable, I suggest, shows that Jesus is represented by the “Samaritan”. “host” is the ecclesia and the “man who “fell among thieves, was stripped of his raiment and wounded” represents, those who are turning their back on the ecclesia also man without hope in the world, as was our former condition.
Therefore, we should seek to show a Christ-like spirit to those we meet in the world who are lost, wounded, naked and among thieves. do this we should preach the Gospel and work while it is called today.
Your brother in the Hope of Israel
Peter Moore