Theology critical exegesis on Luke 102537. 'The Parable of the Good Essay

Theology critical exegesis on Luke 102537. 'The Parable of the Good Samaritan' - Essay Example First, the answer to the lawyer's question might be found in the Bible. Second, every person has different perception of what he reads and should find the answer to this question on his own. Thus, in this short reply Jesus has said that the way to salvation was already delivered to people and it is their responsibility to find it. Verses 27 and 28 are the summary of the right way of living "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all they soul, and with thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself". This answer did not satisfy the lawyer and he further asked who can be considered the neighbor and received the reply. Verse 30-35 are the story of how the certain man was beaten by robbers and left half dead on the road. The priest has seen him but passed by. The same has done the Levite. Nevertheless, when the Samaritan saw this beaten man, he was moved with compassion and took care of him. After finishing this story, Jesus has asked the lawyer for his opinion who proved to be the neighbor for the beaten man and the lawyer replied that he was the one who showed mercy. Jesus noted, "Go and do likewise" (Luke 10: 37). Jesus did not reply directly to the asked question, but showed the example of what he meant. The golden rule of treating others, as you want to be treated can be also applied here. Traditionally pa Literal Analysis Traditionally parables and narratives are understood differently by different people, however, the meaning of the Parable of Good Samaritan is understood universally. Referring to the story, the man was walking on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho which is surrounded by the cliffs on both sides. Moreover, it descended over 3000 feet in only ten miles and was dangerous to walk at any time. Thus, it can be that the parable is not fictitious and is made up based on the real situation. Probably Jesus himself has walked this road with the disciples, even though it is very unlikely that the priest or the Levite would travel this road alone taking into account the numerous robbers living in the caves (Brown 1990). Historically, Jews and Samaritans were enemies and not a single Jew would allow the Samaritan to help him even in such extreme situations. Maybe, with this parable Jesus wanted to say that the salvation is not granted to selected groups of people and despite of other ethnic origin they are all equal in the eyes of God. Further, these verses are showing that division of people based on their origin is false in essence. The priest and Levite being considered closer to God did not help the person who was in need of assistance, while the Samaritan who was hated by Jews took care of the beaten man. Unfortunately, very little has been written about the historical relationship between Jesus and Samaritans. First, Samaritans could be defined in terms of geography - they lived in the region called Samaria. Second, Samaritans could be defined in terms of ethnic origin - they were the mixed group of people and had non-Jewish blood. Third, Samaritans can be defined in terms of their religion - they were the Semites who worshiped Yahweh (Brown 1990). Despite of the definition Jesus assumed, it is clear that Samaritans were not welcomed by the Jews of that time. Even though the focus of the