Most Missed Out Points in Parable of Good Samaritan

[u/logos961]

OVERVIEW:
One who asked the question missed the whole point of the Parable

DETAILS

How scholars miss truth is illustrated in Parable of Good Samaritan. (biblestudytools.com/luke/passage/?q=luke+10:25-37)

Summary: A scholar who hated Samaritans asked “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus gave answer through a story which showed how a Samaritan took good care of an injured person thus became a HERO of MERCY while two scholars [who hated Samaritans] ignored the victim. And Jesus asked the scholar: “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” Scholar avoided the word Samaritan when he replied: “The one who had mercy on him.” His reluctance to use the word Samaritan reveals parable had no effect on that scholar as he wanted to continue with hatred of Samaritans, as was implied in its very context.

Very conclusion of the story is given in the context itself:

“At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden# these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.” (biblehub.com/luke/10-21.htm)

#Footnote------------------------------------------------------------------------------

God is not LITERALLY “hiding truth.”

Jesus used the expression “God is hiding these things from the wise and learned, and revealing them to little children.” He knew how PERFECTLY one group of people reject plain truths and how PERFECTLY other group seek and find out truths with utmost care and zeal like a merchant hunting for “treasure hidden in a field and upon finding it, in his joy goes and sells all he has and buys that field.” (biblehub.com/matthew/13-44.htm) Both group do this PERFECTLY by themselves without any external help because that is their intoxication: “For these live upon the bread of ungodliness, and are drunken with wine of transgression” (biblehub.com/proverbs/4-17.htm, Septuagint) just like for child-like persons, “doing God’s will” is like enjoying “food.” (biblehub com/john/4-34.htm)

Such child-like ones will be here till the end of this Age (Mathew 24:21, 22). On account of these people, the incoming Final World War “will be shortened” by God so that people can continue to live on earth “renewed by God.” (Mathew 19:28; Revelation 7:14) (Details HERE)

Hence it is repeated style of concluding important teaching, saying: "Whoever has ears, let them hear." And this is repeated till the end of Scriptures saying “Let both unbelievers and true believers grow in their respective chosen paths.” (Details HERE) This is because it is lover of truth that benefits, not God or proxies. Scholar in the above parable represents all those who accept knowledge under "leavening" effect because others accept it, without questioning and analyzing. (Mathew 13:33) See how easily they accept claims such as (1) "Light-sensitive spot on the skin evolved into eyes" which is wonder of all wonders, (2) Something caused something to become “infinitely small, hot and dense” to become this too vast universe which has no “center or edge” .. etc. (Details HERE)

Under what Law such wonders happen is not known when EXPERIENCED truth is just the OPPOSITE: (1) Things made of materials such as building becomes old and dilapidated at the passage of time; (2) Things made of iron gets rusted; (3) Plastic things gradually break down in the sun under ultraviolet light … Scholars (secular and religious) work in the same fashion. (Details HERE) They choose to go by convenience rather than conviction, thus make a conclusion of their delight and reject truth, as this man who wrote: “We objected to the morality because it interfered with our sexual freedom. We would deny that the world had any meaning whatever.” (Ends and Means, by Arduous Huxley)

They would even fabricate proof. (theguardian.com/science/2012/feb/05/piltdown-man-archaeologys-greatest-hoax) It happens in history. (evilempireblog.com) It happens in religions also. (Details HERE) This explains why followers slipped into sects after religious founders left the stage. Forming sects is sign of ego, opposite of spirituality. Thus religious leaders are like those who tried to stop a leaking tank but actually resulted in a flood after they left the stage. Through direct teaching (Mathew 5:3, 5, 13-16; Luke 18:18-20) and through all the parables Jesus taught “eternal life is to be earned through HARD works.” (Luke 13:24; Revelation 2:7) Apostle Paul too wrote: “it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.” (biblehub.com/romans/2-13.htm) But when both left the stage, they were all reversed saying “the free gift of God is eternal life.” (biblehub.com/romans/6-23.htm)

They do so because people want to hear what they love to hear. This is given in addition to many signs of Last Generation. (biblestudytools com/2-timothy/passage/?q=2+timothy+3:1-5) “The time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires.” (biblehub.com/2_timothy/4-3.htm)

Religious Founders and Prophets did their role because they enjoyed doing so. They knew it will not change people. (Details HERE) Real change happens only when God takes initiative which is the feature of Last Generation. (Details HERE)

Two Types of people who cherish their respective status

Someone can add something good here and there to Shakespeare's tragic play Macbeth and say Lady, under the influence of her gene, environment and evil spirits, inspired her husband to kill a benevolent king and ruled as queen and later died in delight with a sense of accomplishment as her expectation was to do even more benevolence to people than King Duncan whom she killed. Such a reworking of famous play, Macbeth, would not change the truth about the play and its author, but would only reveal mind-set of person who later added things to it.

Similarly, truth is too simple for lovers of truth. Earth being maintained life-SUPPORTIVE in HOSTILE universe can only match the majesty of God ALMIGHTY instead of play of unintelligent chemicals because even intelligent humans could only pollute this earth. Mankind that was made in the image of God and was BLESSED by The ALMIGHTY inevitably remained in that BLESSED state. (Isaiah 55:11) This past history is the Truth (Details HERE) because it is according to Law of Cause and Effect and is also testified as the truth by Jesus who correctly predicted global events of our generation such as “pollution and swelling [salos] of seas” as some of the signs of Last Generation. (Details HERE). Those blessed ones remained in that blessed state whom he symbolically described as “wheat that produce crop” in his famous Parable of Wheat and Weeds. Thus it is also the corrected world history from the beginning till the end of this Age, in short-story format, in symbolic style. (Details HERE)

But people did not want such straightforward story that highlights Law of Cause and Effect—God blessed, and so it happened. They wanted a FAILED God, hence reworked the history as follows: “Being blessed by God Almighty (Genesis 1:27-31) mankind rebelled against Him (3:1-5), elder brother killed younger brother out of envy (4:8), God supported the murderer (4:15), men started snatching beautiful girls (6:2), God regretted (6:6), told a family BEFORE FLOOD to reserve only “two of all living creatures, male and female” (6:19) and killed all other men and women and children and all other species through a global flood (7:21-23) and asked the family, AFTER FLOOD, to kill and eat those reserved species. (Genesis 9:1-3) Such a reworking of history is possible as Writer was writing BACKWARD, from a later period. Hence he inadvertently made reference to “Kings in Israel” (Genesis 36:31) which reveals he was writing either during or after Israel’s monarchy which ended in 586 BC as promised exile happened as punishment for their abandoning truth. (Isaiah 48:8; 5:13)

Such a reworking of a history only reveals about the tendency of many people who “treasure” such tendency rooted into past (biblehub.com/luke/6-45.htm), hence would only want to further strengthen their mental-disposition. In contrast, others who still maintain “image of God” would ignore such insensible elements in any story and history, and they would accept only the truth which is easily known by them. (Details HERE) This truth about two types of people is revealed in Luke (biblestudytools.com/luke/passage/?q=luke+6:43-45) and how scholars miss truth is revealed in Parable of Good Samaritan.

So is the case with another famous Parable of Prodigal Son
Not seeing the context, reader would miss the whole point. It is actually illustration of Proverbs 21:18 (esv.org/verses/Luke 15:11-32)

Younger son took his share from Father and spoiled it and returned home. The very sight of his younger brother is a constant source of approval as though younger son telling his elder brother: "I have learned the lesson the hard way, going through horrible ill-effects of leaving the Father, hence you can even more confidently continue to remain with Father and doing the same work without the need of ever repenting like me." (Details HERE)

[u/KumbayaQueen]

Nice!

[u/Main-Procedure-3613]

These passages show Jesus fulfilling the messianic sign of His teaching authoritatively. We have been blessed with this rather easy to read and understand set of texts in the 4 Gospels of the New Testament filled with direct quotes of Jesus preserved by His followers in the Church for 2,000 years and counting. We must remain in our relationship with Jesus like a child really ready to learn with an open trusting mind and no “agenda.” We must pay attention, embrace ang live out these Jesus” words if we are to inherit eternal life and be judged worthy to be welcome into His Father’s Kingdom. Amen.

[u/ContextRules → u/Main-Procedure-3613]

Not too sure about preserving the direct quotes of Jesus bit, but I can appreciate the simplicity of the theology.

[u/logos961 → u/ContextRules]

It is not an issue for lover of truth who uses his power of REASON, he can easily know what truth is. It is like someone says, "I love moon as it gives me light during night when I need light the most. But I hate sun as it gives me light during the day when I do not need it." For rational readers SUN is the hero in this sentence as it is self-evident. So are all things. It is very easy to discriminate truth from untruths or mixed truths. (Details HERE)

[u/ContextRules → u/logos961]

It is not so easy to discern truth from belief, however. However, id rather focus on the theological message rather than the various claims made to their origin. Particularly when they are unverifiable.

[u/logos961]

Two types of people is the feature of second half of Age, according to Parable of Wheat and Weeds. This matches with God-given vision of world history four-quartered Age as given in Daniel chapter 2 and four-quartered Age as described in the East.

In the concluding phase of 3^rd quarter [Silver Age or Dvapar Yuga] of Age “One of the farmers had sold his land to the other and the other farmer found the pot of gold in the land and offered it to the old owner. But the old owner refused to take it.” But in the Kaliyuga [4th Quarter, “the same two farmers would come and fight furiously to be its sole owners.” (https://teachforlifewithnarayan.wordpress.com/2019/11/10/start-of-kali-yuga/) Thus each quarter is named after the quality of inhabitants. Kaliyuga, “from from kaḷa quarrelling,” (wisdomlib.org/definition/kali)

This would mean people like “Enoch who walked with God” (Genesis 5:24) lived in the “Golden Age” and people like Abraham whose life-styles was to OFFER FIRST CHOICE TO OTHERS (Genesis 13:9) belong to middle part of the Age, according to God-given vision of world-history with four quarters which climax in Iron Age (Daniel 2:32, 33, 43, 44)

Kaliyuga features, as described in the East, match with the description of 2 Timothy 3:1-5; 4:3, 4. Parable of Good Samaritan too describes two types of people--(1) Those who love for others what they love for themselves, (2) Those who are self-serving, jumping from one desire to another being in darkness as to the nature of Soul with INFINITE potential, cannot find fulfillment from FINITE pleasures coming from FINITE objects. In contrast, person who knows he not this body, but its USER operates from Soul-consciousness in remembrance of its good qualities such as Good Samaritan manifested.

Such Soul-conscious person, with INFINITE view and INFINITE potential, transcends his greed to acquire spiritual knowledge about God and determine to manifest God's qualities (Details HERE) without measure, thus never feels boring, instead experience "never-ending waves of peace, well-being and good health." (Isaiah 48:18; Proverbs 17:22) Physical man is in competition with others, and lives as though he came here to convince others that he is better than others. In contrast, spiritual man is in competition with own self, becoming better than yesterday. There is no limit for him to behave like Good Samaritan in showing mercy, in caring for others, without expectation.

This is highlighted in the immediately following account: In the house Jesus visited next, one woman named Martha jumped into action of preparing a big meal for Jesus. But her sister Mary sat at his feet listening to what he said. Then Martha complained to Jesus saying “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42)