Are there hidden truths in the parable of the good Samaritan? Does it have something to do with loving other people and being involved in social justice? Jordan Standridge of The Cripplegate fills us in on what he believes Jesus is actually saying in the parable. He writes:
The good Samaritan is perhaps the most misunderstood parable in the Bible. Dozens of ministries have been started with a desire to emulate the good Samaritan.
Hundreds of theologians have tried to pull out hidden truths from this parable and have come up with completely different ideas.
Some teach that Jesus desires to expose the Jericho road and that we would live in a day and age where good Samaritans are no longer needed. Others expose the need to tear down walls between enemies, and others–probably the typical evangelical Christian–see in the good Samaritan a call to love other people and to be involved in social justice.
But is that what Jesus is saying in this parable?