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4/20/23

The Word of God is Revealed to Those Who Know Him

In last week's post (that you can read here), we established that those who are faithful and whose hearts are founded in God’s Words are able to decipher and understand His messages. We shared the following scriptures from the Parable of the Sower that emphasized this point:

“Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”

Matthew 13:11-12

“But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

Matthew 13:16-17

He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables”

Mark 4:11

He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others, I speak in parables”

Luke 8:10

To further highlight that Jesus used parables as a way to conceal and reveal:

Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:

“I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”

Matthew 13:34-35

Jesus is referring to:

I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old—

Psalm 78:2

This week, we will expand on the mysteries of God’s Word being unearthed.

Mysteries In The Old Testament

Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance— for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise

Proverbs 1:5-6

Throughout the Old Testament, God reveals His mysteries to those who follow His law. Only His most righteous followers were granted special authority to receive revelation so that they could teach and spread His word.

Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.

Amos 3:7

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.

Deuteronomy 29:29

The individuals who hardened their hearts toward God were unable to comprehend the vital implications of the law.

Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people.

Ezekiel 12:2

They know nothing, they understand nothing; their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see,

and their minds closed so they cannot understand.

Isaiah 44:18

Chapter two in the Book of Daniel provides an instance where God revealed Himself. During his second year of reign, King Nebuchadnezzar began having dreams that left him to endure fitful sleep. He reached out to magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers in hopes that they could interpret his dreams. The men were unable to interpret the dreams, and the king wanted Daniel and his friends to execute the men. Daniel couldn’t understand the harsh punishment that the king had issued, so he went to the king and offered to interpret the dreams. Daniel was fearful that if he could not interpret the dreams, he and his friends might also be ordered to be executed. So Daniel did what he thought best, and reached out to God:

He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven and said:

“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his.

He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others.

He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.

He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.

I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors:

You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king.”

Daniel 2:18-23

Because of Daniel’s faith, God revealed the meaning of the dreams to him. Daniel went forth to the king and gave an interpretation.

Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you were lying in bed are these:

“As Your Majesty was lying there, your mind turned to things to come, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen. As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than anyone else alive, but so that Your Majesty may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind.

Daniel 2:27-30

Afterward, the king was so pleased with Daniel and declared:

The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.”

Daniel 2:47

Daniel’s faithfulness, righteousness, and willingness to turn toward God permitted God to reveal Himself to Daniel. Daniel’s account is just one of many within the Old Testament.

Mysteries In The New Testament

For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.

Mark 4:22

The promise that everything hidden will be unveiled is all throughout the New Testament (example: Matthew 10:26-27, Luke 8:17).

But as the hour of His death neared, Jesus began to speak plainly to His disciples.

Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father.

John 16:25

He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

Mark 8:31-32

Christ taught His disciples so that when His time on Earth came to an end, the Word of God would continue to be taught.

At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

Matthew 11:25-27

After Christ’s death, the disciples built up churches and the Christian faith. They revealed the mysteries Jesus had bestowed to all who would listen (also see Ephesians 3:3-6, Romans 16:25-26, Titus 1:1-3, Ephesians 3:8-9, Colossians 2:2-3).

He made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

Ephesians 1:9-10

I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people.

Colossians 1:25-26

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

2 Peter 1:20-21

Through Christ, We Can Know the Truth

“I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

“I do not accept glory from human beings, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

“But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”

John 5:36-47

Those who followed the law in the Old Testament were able to receive revelation through God. But once Christ came to Earth, faith in Him and His teachings became the pivotal condition to unlocking the meaning of the scriptures and heavenly mysteries. Christ became the Word, and through Him, we will know the truth.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:1-14

This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time.

1 Timothy 2:3-6

No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written:

“What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him— these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for,

“Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?”

But we have the mind of Christ.

1 Corinthians 2:7-16

But Sometimes, We May Need Some Additional Support

Even today, God’s messages are concealed. Sometimes, you may have difficulty understanding a certain chapter in the Bible, or you might struggle with relating and connecting to a Biblical event. Don’t let that deter you. Even Christ’s twelve disciples needed some extra explanation to help them discern His messages.

With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

Mark 4:33-34

It is important to note that despite requiring supplemental clarification, the disciples were privileged to receive it. In contrast to those who couldn’t comprehend Christ’s messages, His disciples were able to be taught and understand. In fact, they were eager to understand and learn. There are multiple instances where once in private, the disciples inquired of Jesus to further explain His messages (Mark 10:10, Mark 9:28, Luke 8:9, Matthew 13:36, just to name a few). His disciples needing further explanation emphasize the point that man is imperfect, and we need to lean on God.

Even after His time on Earth, His disciples continued to seek His guidance.

Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel

Ephesians 6:19

Wrapping Up

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you lose on earth will be lost in heaven.” Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

Matthew 16:16-20

Christ is the fundamental panacea to obtaining insight into God’s mysteries. Continue to read your scriptures, attend worship, and pray for the ability to understand. Build your relationship with God, and He will unveil His sacred mysteries to you.

Posted by Erica Nielsen

Tags: prayer, jesus, god, christian, bible, christ, scripture, pray, jesus christ, christianity, believers, relationship, bible study, verse, build relationship

4/13/23

in Bible Study

The Parable about Parables

It is no secret that Jesus heavily taught in parables, but have you ever wondered why that is? His twelve disciples were curious as to why He preferred to teach using parables. In fact, on one occasion, after sharing a parable by a lake, His disciples asked Jesus why He favored teaching in parables.

Jesus questioned His disciples:

Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?

Mark 4:13

So, what then was the parable Jesus taught by the lake that day?

The Parable of the Sower

The Gospels of Matthew (13:3-23), Mark (4:3-20), and Luke (8:5-15) provide corresponding accounts of the Parable of the Sower.

In this parable, Jesus unfolds a story about a farmer who went to sow his seed. As the farmer sprinkled the seed along the soil, some of the seed fell on soil on the path, soil in rocky areas, soil in thorny areas, and on good soil.

Consequently, hungry birds flew in and ate up the seed that fell on the path. The seeds that fell in rocky areas sprouted quickly, but the soil was shallow and the rocks prevented the plants from taking a deep root; ultimately blocking sufficient nutrients and water. Because of this, the plants died because the heat of the sun was too much to bear. The seed that fell among thorns was obstructed by the piercing bristles. This rendered the plant incapable of bearing grain. Fortunately, the seed that fell among the good soil had all of the right conditions to amply grow and prosper. The bountiful crop multiplied a hundred, or sixty, or thirty times what was sown.

Jesus ended the parable with:

“Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

Matthew 13:9

Symbolism

+The Farmer depicts God

+The Seed depicts the Word of God

+The Soil on the Path depicts people who have heard the Word of God, but as soon as they have, Satan sneaks in and turns them away.

+The Soil on Rock depicts people who have heard the Word of God. They believe and accept His Word. However, they are not able to take root in His Word. So in times of persecution and testing, they fall away.

The Soil among Thorns depicts people who have heard the Word of God, but as life progresses, they become enamored by worldly pleasures, worries, and gains. They took root, but the thorns got in the way and inhibited them from maturing.

+The Good Soil depicts people who have heard the Word of God and understand it. They continue to live by His Word and produce a prolific crop.

How Can The Parable of the Sower Be Considered The Parable About Parables?

This is the point where His disciples ask Jesus why He speaks in parables.

This is why I speak to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.”

Matthew 13:13

Here, Jesus is reiterating Isaiah.

“Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving. Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise, they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

Isaiah 6:9-10

All three accounts of the Parable of the Sower indicate that those who have the Word of God rooted within them are privy to understanding God’s messages. We see this in the scriptures below:

Matthew 13:11-12

Matthew 13:16-17

He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables”

Mark 4:11

He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others, I speak in parables”

Luke 8:10

God has extended His Word and Grace to everyone- those planted on the path, among the rocks, intertwined with thorns, and in the good soil. However, only those who have cultivated their hearts with good soil are receptive to the messages and meaning of His Word. They are the ones who will truly understand. All others are on the outside. All they hear is a parable- a little story about a farmer. The Parable of the Sower reflects Jesus’ purpose of teaching with parables.

Summing It All Up

The Parable of the Sower illustrates the inner workings of the parables Christ used throughout His ministry. Those who are close to Him, who haven’t hardened their hearts to His messages, are privileged to receive the powerful and transformative proclamations of the Word of God.

Now, the only question that remains is what soil are you?

Posted by Erica Nielsen

Tags: jesus, god, christian, bible, christ, christianity, parable, sower, parable of the sower

3/9/23

in Bible Study

A Comprehensive Analysis of the Parable of the Good Samaritan

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

The Book of Luke chapter 10 shares the account of a lawman who challenges Jesus. This particular man stood up and asked Jesus “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus countered the man by asking, “what is written in the law? How do you read it?” The man responded by paraphrasing both Deuteronomy 6:5:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

and Leviticus 19:18:

Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.

Jesus assured the man that he was correct, and let him know that if he were to follow those teachings he would receive eternal life. But the man was not satisfied, he felt the need to question Jesus further. As a means of personal justification, the man asked, “who is my neighbor?”

Jesus thought it best to teach this man a valuable lesson in the form of a parable. He went on to illustrate a story about a man who found himself in an unfortunate circumstance. This man had been traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho when a band of robbers stripped him of his clothes, beat him, and left him for dead on the side of the road.

As the man lay there dying, on two separate occasions, two holy men, a priest, and a Levite happened to come along. Neither of the men stopped to help the hurt man, instead, they opted to cross the road and continue on their way. But then a Samaritan who was traveling down the road saw the man and went out of his way to help him. The Samaritan bandaged the stranger's wounds, carefully loaded him onto his donkey, and took him into town where he secured a room for the man at the local inn where he nursed the man back to health. The next day, the Samaritan paid the innkeeper and requested the innkeeper to watch over the man, and promised he would be back and reimburse the innkeeper for all additional expenses.

Once finished presenting His tale, Jesus asked the law expert:

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

Luke 10:36

To which:

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Luke 10:37

Let’s Unpack

At first glance, the lesson in Parable of the Good Samaritan may seem pretty obvious: Doesn’t matter who it is, help others and love everyone. But there is more to it than that, so let’s get into it.

What is a Samaritan?

The word Samaritan is used to describe a person from Samaria which was a territory just north of Judea in Northern Jerusalem.

The Moderately Abridged History of the Contempt Between The Jews and Samaritans

When Israel divided, Samaria was within the boundaries of the northern kingdom of Israel, while Judea became the southern kingdom. Both of the kingdoms were led by corrupt rulers. Because of this, wickedness spread across the kingdoms.

God warned His followers to repent and turn away from their immoral ways. The Jews in the southern kingdom found themselves at an advantage, as the temple was within their boundary.

As descendants from the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, Samaritans deemed themselves as the true followers of the original Mosaic religion. The Samaritans built their site of worship on Mount Gerizim. They opposed the beliefs and religion of the Jews from Judea.

Sin continued to metastasize throughout the kingdoms, and the people proceeded to shut their eyes to God’s warnings. Because of this, around 721 B.C., the northern kingdom of Israel was overthrown by the Assyrian Empire. Assyrian Pagan Gentiles relocated to the area and soon after, the natives began to intermarry with the Gentiles. Consequently, the offspring produced from these marriages considered themselves Jews.

However, the Jews in Judea unquestionably disagreed. Animosity grew between the Samaritans and those in Judea. Not only did the Judeans not agree with how Samaritans practiced Judaism, but they began to refer to Samarians as mongrels; considering them inferior because they were half Gentile.

The southern kingdom met its forewarned destruction in 585 B.C. The southern kingdom of Judea was conquered by the Babylonian Empire. The walls of Jerusalem and the temple fell to rubble. Many of the residents were sent to Babylon.

70 years later, Babylon was defeated by the Medes and the Persians. Even though many of the previous residents of Jerusalem had new lives, they were encouraged to return home and rebuild the temple. Many of them did.

As the construction of the new temple began, the people from the original northern kingdom offered their help to build the temple saying:

“Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.”

Ezra 4:1

The southern Israelites denied the help:

“You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us.”

Ezra 4:2

This angered the Samaritans and others in the northern kingdom. Out of spite, they put together a resistance to impede the construction of the temple by petitioning the Persian kings. Ultimately, the Samaritans did not prevent the temple from being rebuilt, they just threw up some additional roadblocks. They ended up building their own temple on Mount Gerizim. But, subsequently, the pre-existing bad blood amplified.

Approximately in 332 B.C., Alexander the Great vanquished the land and as a result, the land fell under Greek rule. At this time, the Samaritans cooperated with the Greeks, while the Jews rebelled; choosing to remain loyal to Persia. During this time, the Samaritans even denied being Jewish so they would be more readily accepted by their Greek counterparts.

In 113 B.C., conflict once again peaked when the Jews demolished the Samaritan temple on Mount Gerizim. This only fueled the hatred.

By the time Jesus was born, the long-seeded loathing had been plagued with deceitful and malicious misdeeds spanning over generations.

The Justification of the Lawman

In Luke 10:25, the lawman asked Jesus:

“Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

When the lawman first posed his question, (“what must I do”) he seemingly eluded God’s laws by implying that inheriting eternal life is achievable of his own accord. Jesus immediately thwarted the man’s attempt by bringing the law into the conversation. Still attempting to justify himself, the man confronted Jesus once again, seeking out the answer to who does not count as a neighbor, and who does he not have to love. After all, the man wouldn’t be expected to love sinners, right? Wrong! However, if Jesus were to specify who, the man could keep the options to a minimum and ultimately modify the law by stating that he does love the people who do count.

The Justification of the Two Holy Men

In the Parable, first, a priest encounters the hurt man. It is widely familiar knowledge that a priest refers to a religious leader. But do you know why a Levite is considered a holy man?

1 Chronicles 23:1-5 reads:

When David was old and full of years, he made his son Solomon king over Israel.

He also gathered together all the leaders of Israel, as well as the priests and Levites. The Levites thirty years old or more were counted, and the total number of men was thirty-eight thousand. David said, “Of these, twenty-four thousand are to be in charge of the work of the temple of the Lord and six thousand are to be officials and judges. Four thousand are to be gatekeepers and four thousand are to praise the Lord with the musical instruments I have provided for that purpose.”

So, both the priests and Levites were temple workers. This fact implicates the underlying reasoning behind the men’s justification of why they neglected to help the man on the side of the road. Per the requirements of the job, men working in the temple were expected to maintain cleanliness. Helping a wounded man could prove to be detrimental in this regard. Leviticus 21 provides great insight as to the priest’s and Levite’s obligations:

The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: ‘A priest must not make himself ceremonially unclean for any of his people who die, except for a close relative, such as his mother or father, his son or daughter, his brother, or an unmarried sister who is dependent on him since she has no husband—for her he may make himself unclean.

Leviticus 21:1-3

He must not enter a place where there is a dead body. He must not make himself unclean, even for his father or mother

Leviticus 21:11

Justifying their actions, both men paid no attention to their neighbor (or, per Matthew 22, the second greatest of all the commandments) and thought it more important to keep clean so they could perform their religious responsibilities.

The Entirety of the Lessons From the Parable

+Consult Your Bible- Despite the lawman’s efforts to rationalize his actions, the first place he turned was to God's teachings when Jesus asked him, “what is written in the law? How do you read it?” Always turn to God and His teachings first.

+Strive to Comprehend What You Read- Seek out the deeper meaning from the messages. Make sure you are not improperly comprehending the message so that it fits your narrative. The lawman knew that he was commanded to love everybody, but he thought, “surely, not everybody counts as everybody.”

+Listen Intently to God’s Teachings- When you listen and absorb His teachings, you are opening the doorway to beneficial spiritual guidance and growth.

+Eliminate Justification From Your Life- God sees all your actions, he knows your heart. Justifying yourself doesn’t help you in any form. Not only does God know your true intentions, but making justifications prevents personal growth.

+Be Responsive and Hospitable- Respond with love and compassion to those needing help. If you can, go beyond the bare minimum of support. The Good Samaritan could have only bandaged the man up, but he did more- he took him to the inn. The Good Samaritan could have paid for the one night at the inn, but he did more- he paid the innkeeper for more time and for his help to oversee the man and promised to repay him for any additional expenses. The Good Samaritan exceeded any expectations.

+Don’t Expect Things in Return- Yes, if you follow the example of the Good Samaritan, you will be blessed. Nonetheless, it is important that you do not help others because there are deep-rooted motivations and factors driving you to do so. You need to love and help others because you see their value, you want to aid them, and you want to build them up.

+Steer Clear of Intolerance and Discrimination- Jesus used the Samaritan as an example to jolt those who were listening. Samaritans were viewed as lesser beings and they were despised by the Jews. They were seen as faithless half-breeds who were untrustworthy and unsuitable to be treated civilly. Yet, in a shocking turn of events, Jesus reveals that the Good Samaritan was the good guy, he was the only one upholding God’s law.

+Be Humble and Receptive- After Jesus relayed the Parable, the lawman conceded that the Good Samaritan was the man who had been a true neighbor to the hurt man. By doing so, the lawman acknowledged his faulty judgment and showed a willingness to learn and challenge his thinking.

+Act on God's Words- The last piece of wisdom that Jesus grants the lawman is, “go and do likewise.” Jesus is reiterating that if the lawman wants eternal life, he will need to meet the conditions by doing: inclusively, openly, unconditionally loving all. Words are great, but they need to be backed by your actions.

Parallel of Jesus and the Good Samaritan

Now let’s jump into the symbolism of the Parable!

A man (us) is wounded and beaten (by sin and evil).

A priest and Levite (religious leaders of the old covenants) are incapable of saving the wounded man.

A Samaritan (Jesus) rescues the wounded man.

The Samaritan takes the man to an inn (a Christian church).

The Samaritan then delegates the responsibility and care of the wounded man over to the innkeeper (Christian leader).

The Samaritan promises the innkeeper that he will return (Christ’s return) and will be compensated for his faithful loyalty (the rapture).

The Samaritan footed the bill, and all expenses were on him (the crucifixion).

Plainly put, religious leaders and others of the time simply did not like Jesus. They belittled and mocked Him, questioned His ministry, and ended up condemning Him to death. In John 8:48 the Jews are vilifying Him:

The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?”

Equivalent to the Good Samaritan, all Samaritans, Jesus is persecuted. His miracles, guidance, and love are overlooked by those who hate Him, despite Him satisfying the law. Yet, he continues to show us mercy.

The Fulfillment of a Prophecy

Jesus knew that there wasn’t much time left in his Earthly calling. Even though he had ministered to a Samaritan woman in John 4, and healed the Samaritan leper in Luke 17 (the only one who came back to thank Him), He wanted to share His message with all of Samaria, but we see in Luke 9:51-56 that he was not welcomed:

As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them. Then he and his disciples went to another village.

In Acts chapter 1, Jesus shares with His disciples that they will be His witnesses in Samaria. In Acts 8:4-8, His prophecy was fulfilled:

Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city.

Wrapping It Up

Take it upon yourself to take up every opportunity presented to be a Good Samaritan. Admittedly, at times, it will most definitely be difficult. Some days will be worse than others. There are some people who just irk us. But they are not any less deserving of God's love, or your love. If you stumble, that’s okay. God knows that we aren’t perfect. So, cling to Him and continue working toward change.

In order to inherit eternal life, we need to be obedient to Jesus’ teachings and follow His example. We need to submit ourselves to His Word, His Actions, and His Love. Ask yourself how you can be a good neighbor. By striving to become a Good Samaritan, we are striving to become Christlike.

The Whole Passage

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

“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

He 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; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

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

In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii 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.’