Research Paper on "Interpretation of the Parable of the Good Samaritan"

Research Paper 7 pages (2224 words) Sources: 8

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Parable of the Good Samaritan

Perhaps as no other, the Parable of the Good Samaritan has been influential in the Western world for millennia. For instance, a number of countries and many states have so-called "Good Samaritan" laws on their books that protect people who try to come to the assistance of others from prosecution if their efforts fail. These laws were named for the Good Samaritan described in the New Testament's Luke 10:25-37 for good reason. Indeed, the Good Samaritan presented in Luke has become virtually synonymous with selfless acts of courage that are intended to save others, as well as lesser acts of kindness and compassion. To gain a deeper understanding of the source for this longstanding influence, this paper reviews the relevant literature concerning the Parable of the Good Samaritan as well as biblical references to develop a contemporary interpretation. A summary of the research and important findings are presented in the conclusion.

Review and Discussion

Although there is some debate concerning the source of the original message that is contained in the Parable of the Good Samaritan, most biblical scholars attribute the dictum originally to Jesus. According to Hultgren, "The Parable of the Good Samaritan is one of the most well-known and beloved parables of Jesus. It is routinely considered a parable from Jesus. Scholarly opinion is less settled. It has been attributed to a pre-Lukan Hellenistic Jewish Christian by at least one scholar. Generally, however, the parable is attributed to Jesus by a considerable range of scholarly opinion" (2000, 8). The research will show, though, that the "Golden Rule"/"love they neighbor" message contained in the Parable of the Good Samaritan is in fact contained in both the Old and New Testaments.

In order to be interpreted properly, though, the parables contained in the Gospel must be read in their biblical context. For example, according to Hultgren, "The parables of Jesus are not simply building blocks within a larger, longer argument that is to be concluded outside of the parable itself. The parables are themselves front and center bearers of the message of Jesus; very little more needs to be said. Thereafter the parables of Jesus leave room for interpretation" (2000, 8). Moreover, it is possible to discern a number of different interpretations from the same parable that will all be valid. In this regard, Anderson notes that with regards to the Parable of the Good Samaritan, "Jesus shows rather than tells. He isn't direct. He doesn't come out and say what he means explicitly, and like all parables the parable he tells opens up a gap to be filled. It opens up an interpretive indeterminancy so rich and deep that we can read this parable over and over again and get from it something new, something that connects to our lives in new and more challenging ways" (2004, 170).

The brief but powerful Parable of the Good Samaritan contained in Luke 10:25-37 (New International Version) is certainly open to different interpretations. The Parable opens with a question from a legal expert to Jesus concerning how to acquire eternal life:

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

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

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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.'"

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

It is clear that from the outset, Jesus is encouraging his followers to make decisions for themselves concerning what is meant in the Bible (i.e., "How do you read it?") and to interpret this guidance as it applies to their own lives. It is also clear, though, that just as "no man is an island," all mankind are "neighbors" for the purposes of this parable. For example, in response to the legal expert's question concerning who is the "neighbor" who must be loved as oneself, Jesus described a vignette in which a priest and a Levite simply ignored a seriously injured traveler who was lying on the side of the road after being robbed and beaten on his way from Jerusalem to Jericho:

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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.

After describing how the Samaritan was the only one who took an interest in this injured traveler and how he saved his life at his own expense, Jesus asked the legal expert:

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

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The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

Taken together, the Parable of the Good Samaritan would appear to mean generally that everyone has a fundamental duty and responsibility to come to the assistance of others in need as well as to refrain from actions that would harm others. In this regard, Waldron notes that, "The parable of the Good Samaritan, as it has become known, is cited most often by moral philosophers to open a debate about the duty to rescue, i.e., a debate about the stringency of our obligation to help others as opposed to the stringency of our obligation to refrain from harming them" (2003, 333). This duty to refrain from harming others is seldom considered in the context of helping others, but it appears that the "love thy neighbor" message contained in the Parable of the Good Samaritan is applicable to acts of commission as well as omission. For example, it is certainly possible to avoid harming one's neighbor outright through intentional acts, but it is also certainly possible to allow a neighbor to come to some type of harm because of a lack of action and timely intervention and this is where the Parable of the Good Samaritan becomes particularly relevant.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan also stands out from other parables in the New Testament for a number of other reasons as well. According to Rayner, the Parable of the Good Samaritan echoes the requirements of the Golden Rule which "Jesus singled out for special emphasis" (1997, 229). This "special emphasis" relates to the importance of the message which appears several times in the Bible. In this regard, Rayner notes that, "In fact, the story occurs three [other] times. In Mark, in Leviticus [and] in Matthew" (1997, 229). In the Matthew (22:35-40) version, the exchange between lawyer and Jesus proceeds thusly:

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One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:

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"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

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Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'

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This is the first and greatest commandment.

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And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

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All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

In addition, this parable is also unique in that it is the single parable that is articulated by Jesus based on these other references to biblical text. In this regard, Hultgren advises that this single parable "is the Parable of the Good Samaritan, which Jesus tells in response to the lawyer who asks 'And who is my neighbor?' In connection with Leviticus 19:18" (2000, 8). In this regard, Leviticus 19:18 (New International Version) states:

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

The manner in which Jesus and his followers interpreted this guidance from Leviticus is reflective of the importance of the "love thy neighbor" message that is contained in both the Pentateuch as well as New Testament. According to Davis, "Understanding how Jesus and his followers were reading Levitcus may begin with the 'Summary of the Law,' which appears in all three synoptic Gospels. Luke's version of the encounter with the 'legal expert' is especially interesting. Jesus reciprocates his question about how to inherit eternal life with another question: 'What is written in the Law? How do you read?' (10:26). The expert's answer is unmistakably authentic; early rabbinic sources focus special attention on the commandment, 'Be loving to your neighbor'" (Lev. 19:18)" (2000, 733).

Indeed, Davis cites examples from early biblical scholars concerning the importance and centrality of the "love thy neighbor" message in the Bible: "Akiba, the greatest teacher of second-century Judaism, calls this 'the great principle of the Torah' (Sifra). Thus Rabbi Hillel offers his summary 'while standing on one leg': 'That which is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is Torah; all the rest… READ MORE

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