38. Good Samaritan
Posted by T.T. and
P.T. in July 2020
The Good
Samaritan (Luke 10:30-35) is probably the most widely known parable from Jesus.
There was a traveller on his way from Jerusalem to Jericho. He was attacked by
robbers, lost everything, and was left half dead. A priest and a Levite came
along, but they merely looked at him and then just walked away. A Samaritan
came upon the traveller and took care of his wounds. Then, he put the man on
his donkey, took him to an inn, and asked the innkeeper to take care of the
wounded traveller, agreeing to pay everything himself.
In the
world of the mind, the parable can be extended in a time scale from the present
to a remote future. Suppose a person in the remote future were to be attacked
by people from the present time, with many valuable items, such as the beautiful
nature with its rich resources, were to be stolen, and he was left half dead.
Then some bystanders were to pass by, but no one took care of the injured
person. Although the injured future traveller earnestly longs for someone to
come along to help him, a rescuer just like the Good Samaritan, the end is
still uncertain.
Our
planet Earth is now in danger from the attack by robbers. Most of the valuable
property that should belong to remote future people is being stolen by present
people. To save planet Earth, a rescuer must appear as soon as possible. They
should do everything necessary solely for the future people without expecting
any return, just like the Good Samaritan. Only by the love for future
neighbours can such a purely altruistic deed become a reality.
Although
a Good Samaritan who loves future people seldom appears in a sermon in a
Christian church, the Good Samaritan story can be interpreted as a reality of
saving future people regardless of their beliefs or whether they are theist or atheists,
so that anyone who wants to care for future sufferers will accept the Good
Samaritan story. By such a simple mental exercise, the Good Samaritan story as
a parable in a specific religion will turn into a common cultural legacy,
accepted by anyone who earnestly hopes for contentment in future generations.
