MAY 10

Luke 10:29-37
Memorise John 2:19
"Jesus answered... Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up"

For the next eleven days, we shall work hard on learning how to interpret the Bible, using the parable of the Good Samaritan as a case study.

You may remember our lesson two days ago about the importance of knowing the context of a particular passage so that we can interpret the passage correctly? Also, we saw earlier on how the wrong method of interpretation can lead to a very unnatural explanation of this passage.

So, today, we ask ourselves - what is the context of the parable of the Good Samaritan? Why did Jesus tell the parable?

In Luke 10:29, we read, “But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?” The context is Jesus’ answer to the question by a lawyer (also known as the scribes). These are not the same as modern day lawyers, but experts in religious laws. We can also see them as theologians. In debating with Jesus, he was trying to demonstrate his own righteousness and prove himself just before God. Hence, through the parable, Jesus had to bring him to the realization of how far he had fallen short of God’s perfect standard, and how he would never be able to inherit eternal life if he persisted in his unjustified state.

Our Lord then tells the parable of the Good Samaritan. By the end of the parable, we can answer the question “Who is his neighbour?”

The punchline or surprise of the parable is that the despised Samaritan was the one who acted in the most neighbourly manner, not the priest nor the Levite. Thus the conclusion was that everyone is considered a neighbour, and we ought to treat everyone as such. With this understanding, we will explore the parable over the next few days!

So then how do we know the context of a passage? Work hard! Know your bible well – not only a particular verse, but the passage itself, the chapter, the book, and the whole Bible itself!

Thought: "The New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed, the Old Testatment is the New Testatment revealed." (Augustine)
Prayer: Lord, your Word is a limitless treasure. Please help me to work hard to understand Why Word, so that I can love You more and more each day, and glorify Thee in my life.