A creative interpretation of the Parable of the Good Samaritan, inspired by Luke 10:25-37
One day, a religious expert stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question, “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus replied: “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?” Knowing his response quickly the Religious Law Expert said, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself.” And Jesus replied, “Right! Do this and you will live.” But the man wanted to justify his own actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” So Jesus told a parable, or a story, to answer his question. “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, stole everything he had, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. A little while later a priest walks by, the priest says, “Who’s this?! What happened?” The man beaten begs for help, but the priest replies, “He looks bloody and gross. I’m going to cross to the other side of the road and keep going.” A little after that a Temple Assistant approaches and wonders what happened here. Once again the man cries out for help.” “Help me! Please!” But instead the Temple Assistant crosses the street and passes by on the other side saying, “If I stop, I’ll be late. I better just keep going. Someone else will help.” “Then a despised Samaritan came along. In these days, Samaritans were often seen as the enemy and to be avoided. But the Samaritan stops and asks, “What’s going on here? Are you ok?” the man who was beaten replies, “No, I’ve been beaten and robbed!” “Without pausing to wonder how much it will cost, the Samaritan offers help.” “Ok, I have some olive oil and bandages here which can help your wounds, and here, you can get on my donkey so you don’t have to walk.” Jesus continues, “So the Samaritan took the Jewish man to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day the Samaritan gave the innkeeper some money to care for the man.” The Good Samaritan said, “If this isn’t enough, don’t charge him. I will return and pay whatever the remaining charge is. Please take good care of him.” In gratitude the man replies, “Thank you, Good Samaritan! If you didn’t help me, I would still be lying on the road.” After finishing telling the parable, Jesus asked the religious law expert, “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” The Religious Law Expert replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus says, “Yes, now go and do the same.”