When he left on the next day he gave the innkeeper two dinars and said, ‘Take care of him’ – After His ascension Christ entrusted mankind to the Apostolic Synod personified by its great apostle to the Gentiles, St Paul, and “through Paul to the high priests and teachers and ministers of each church,” saying: “Take care of the Gentiles whom I have given to you in the Church. He set him on his own beast, brought him to an inn and took care of him – Christ joined mankind to His own human nature, brought him to the hospital of His Church and continued to minister to him as the divine physician. He doctors mankind by His teachings (the bandages), His anointing with the Holy Spirit (the oil), and the Eucharist (the wine) by which He begins our healing. It happened that a priest …and a Levite came that way, but passed by on the other side – The people of Israel kept to themselves and did not aid mankind.īut a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine – Christ, not from this world, who was accused of being a Samaritan (John 8:48), is that compassionate stranger. They departed, leaving him half dead – he was reduced to the half-life of this earth, subject to sin and death.
They stripped him of his raiment – the robe of immortality. He fell among robbers – Mankind apart from God is beset by the band of demonic powers led by the ruler of this age.
Jericho, at 825 feet below sea level is the lowest city on earth, as far down as you can get. This parable becomes a word-picture of the entire mystery of salvation:Ī man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho – Adam, by trusting in himself instead of God, descended from Paradise into this world. St John Chrysostom helps us see through this text God’s constant and all-embracing love for us.
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