“A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 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. 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, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 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. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.”—Luke 10:30-37.
This parable is beautifully simple, and easily understood, if taken with its context. A certain lawyer, tempting our Lord, asked what he should do to inherit eternal life. Our Lord referred to the law, and asked what that taught. It enjoined love to Jehovah, with all the heart, and soul, and strength, and mind; and to love his neighbor as himself. All quite right; and the lawyer was told, “Do this, and thou shalt live.” He, wishing to justify himself, asked, “And who is my neighbor?” When our Lord told the above parable. Now this parable is constantly referred to as setting forth Christ as the Good Samaritan, and this is, doubtless, a correct application of it; for who, like Christ, has taken upon himself the sorrows and calamities of His people, and provided a full remedy for all their needs? and this is the more striking when He stands in contrast with the priests and Levites, who should have sympathized and helped those in distress. The priest saw the poor man, and passed by on the other side. The Levite looked on the helpless one, but he, too, passed by on the other side. This shows that those who should have been zealous to obey the law fell far short of its requirements; for the law enjoined, that if an ass fell down in the way—and if it even belonged to a person that hated you—you must not forbear to help the poor ass. (Exod. 23:5.) And yet, here was a fellow-creature in great danger passed by unheeded. Yes, it was only the otherwise despised Samaritan that had compassion on him, and did all that was needful to heal and help him. He bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine—that which was curative, and that which was invigorating—and took him to a place of safety.
While the parable is a beautiful picture of how man became a victim to Satan and his emissaries, it is also an exquisite exhibition of how Christ comes to the one thus left half-dead, and does not call on him to do his part, and then He will do the rest. No; the man is so entirely helpless, that Christ must do it all, if the man is to be rescued and saved; and, in His mercy, He does it all, and leaves the poor man provided for.
And this was not all; for the good Samaritan spoke of coming again, and he gave the host two pence, to last until he came again. But why only two pence—about sixteen pence? “Would it not convey the thought—silently, but surely—that he would soon be coming again?” Yes, the good Samaritan’s own words were, “Surely I come quickly.” He will come, and take home all His poor down-trodden ones to be with Him forever.
Now, while all this is true as to Christ Himself, the lesson is to us. We are to be like this merciful one; we are to be good Samaritans. How better could our Lord teach us who is our neighbor, than by giving us a picture of Himself? Our Lord demanded of the lawyer, Which of the three was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves? Even the lawyer could answer that—it was the good Samaritan. “Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.”
Now the Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans, and yet the good Samaritan could not see this wounded one, and leave him in his misery. He was his neighbor; and thus we are exhorted to do good unto all men, but especially to those who are of the household of faith. All men are our neighbors, all Christians our brethren. Man is an injured being, as well as a sinful one, and we see all around us those who have been the victims of Satan, and who are left in their misery. Through mercy, we have the Balm of Gilead, and if we have not this world’s goods to relieve his bodily wants, all can tell of that which will both heal his sin-sick soul, and give him a new life that shall sustain him here, until the Good Samaritan return to call us all above. “Go and do thou likewise.”