The "good Samaritan" Parable -- An Example Of Deeds Without Fa

[southern california guy]

10:25 And behold, a certain expert in the law rose up, testing him and saying,[b] “Teacher, what must I do to possess eternal life?”[/b]
10:26 But he said to him:[color="#FF0000"] “What is written in the law? How do you read it?”[/color]
10:27 In response, he said: “You shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart, and from your whole soul, and from all your strength, and from all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
10:28 And he said to him:[color="#FF0000"] “You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live.”[/color]
10:29 But since he wanted to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
10:30 Then Jesus, taking this up, said:[color="#FF0000"] “A certain man descended from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he happened upon robbers, who now also plundered him. And inflicting him with wounds, they went away, leaving him behind, half-alive.[/color]
10:31 [color="#FF0000"]And it happened that a certain priest was descending along the same way. And seeing him, he passed by.[/color]
10:32 [color="#FF0000"]And similarly a Levite, when he was near the place, also saw him, and he passed by.[/color]
10:33 [color="#FF0000"]But a certain Samaritan, being on a journey, came near him. And seeing him, he was moved by mercy.[/color]
10:34 [color="#FF0000"]And approaching him, he bound up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. And setting him on his pack animal, he brought him to an inn, and he took care of him.[/color]
10:35 [color="#FF0000"]And the next day, he took out two denarii, and he gave them to the proprietor, and he said: ‘Take care of him. And whatever extra you will have spent, I will repay to you at my return.’[/color]
10:36 [color="#FF0000"][b]Which of these three, does it seem to you, was a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?”[/b][/color]
10:37 Then he said, “The one who [b]acted[/b] with mercy toward him.” And Jesus said to him, [color="#FF0000"]“Go, and [b]act[/b] similarly.”[/color]

I find this passage interesting because it's an example of Jesus Christ specifically addressing the question of what we must do to 'possess' eternal life.

And I find it interesting that he never once mentioned 'belief'. The expert in Jewish law said that he had to love god and love his neighbor as himself, and Jesus did not correct him. He didn't tell him that he had to believe that he was god.

I suppose that it could be argued that you have to believe in god in order to love god. But when the expert in Jewish law questioned Jesus about who his "neighbor" was -- that he had to love as much as he loved himself -- Jesus chose to use a 'Samaritan' in his example. And a Samaritan is a member of the Samaritan religion -- not the Jewish religion. Samaritans were descendants from the country of Samaria. They worshiped idols, and burned offerings to their gods on alters.

So the Samaritan was operating strictly on the basis of love of his fellow man. He didn't share the same religion and he wasn't concerned about the religion. Perhaps a modern version of the "Good Samaritan" would be named "The Good Atheist".

Jesus emphasized that it was how the Samaritan [b]acted[/b] towards his fellow man that made him the neighbor -- not his belief. And Jesus told the expert on Jewish Law [color="#FF0000"]"Go, and[b] act[/b] similarly."[/color]

Is Jesus saying that it's not so important what we believe, but rather how we act -- and the love that we have for our fellow man -- that leads us to eternal life? Deeds without faith?

How do you guys interpret this?

Edited November 15, 2010 by southern california guy

[Mr.Cat]

In a [url="http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?showtopic=107784&view=findpost&p=2162484"]previous post[/url] I sort of touched on this, in a sort of quasi-coherent way. I wrote it and posted it rather quickly, sometimes what we say or write sounds better in our heads than it does aloud. But this parable connects for me with the parable of the mustard seed, it took a doctor of catholic theology to point out in the parable of the seed that our Lord was really in a sense mocking His followers. For a mustard seed is VERY very small, but he says if their faith was [i]at least[/i] the size of a mustard seed they could basically command the seas and mountains, forests and elements, the imagery that nothing would be out of their grasp. But when one examines the Bible, no one does such extreme feats of faith, so surely He was calling their faith much smaller than a mustard seed...

But yet it was sufficient and praiseworthy.

I think the message is simple, faith should be a very small seed we sow into our hearts that we allow God to nurturer, which it will grow an abundance of beautiful fruits and flowers in the form of virtues and healthy habits. That the seed is just the start, the process is hope and charity. Faith is a supernatural gift from God, there is nothing that we can do to modify, add, subtract, or create it for that matter. Whenever we try to interfere so directly in that process we risk creating exactly what Christ did not want, human religions built upon the minds and hands of man, not in the heart of man. Christ demanded a religion of the heart, which that hope and charity is universally recognizable regardless of faith.

It should also be noted that this parable is making reference to what is necessary for salvation...

Edited November 15, 2010 by Mr Cat

[southern california guy]

[quote name='Mr Cat' timestamp='1289813398' post='2187221']
In a [url="http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?showtopic=107784&view=findpost&p=2162484"]previous post[/url] I sort of touched on this, in a sort of quasi-coherent way. I wrote it and posted it rather quickly, sometimes what we say or write sounds better in our heads than it does aloud. But this parable connects for me with the parable of the mustard seed, it took a doctor of catholic theology to point out in the parable of the seed that our Lord was really in a sense mocking His followers. For a mustard seed is VERY very small, but he says if their faith was [i]at least[/i] the size of a mustard seed they could basically command the seas and mountains, forests and elements, the imagery that nothing would be out of their grasp. But when one examines the Bible, no one does such extreme feats of faith, so surely He was calling their faith much smaller than a mustard seed...

But yet it was sufficient and praiseworthy.

I think the message is simple, faith should be a very small seed we sow into our hearts that we allow God to nurturer, which it will grow an abundance of beautiful fruits and flowers in the form of virtues and healthy habits. That the seed is just the start, the process is hope and charity. Faith is a supernatural gift from God, there is nothing that we can do to modify, add, subtract, or create it for that matter. Whenever we try to interfere so directly in that process we risk creating exactly what Christ did not want, human religions built upon the minds and hands of man, not in the heart of man. Christ demanded a religion of the heart, which that hope and charity is universally recognizable regardless of faith.

It should also be noted that this parable is making reference to what is necessary for salvation...
[/quote]

I find it provocative that Jesus chose to emphasize deeds over faith when asked what we must do to receive salvation. Was he emphasizing "Faith without deeds is dead" ? Jesus was clearly emphasizing that it didn't matter what the person believed -- or professed to believe -- it was the way he acted that made him a good neighbor. And that sort of love leads to salvation?

[southern california guy]

[quote name='Mr Cat' timestamp='1289813398' post='2187221']

I think the message is simple, faith should be a very small seed we sow into our hearts that we allow God to nurturer, which it will grow an abundance of beautiful fruits and flowers in the form of virtues and healthy habits. That the seed is just the start, the process is hope and charity. Faith is a supernatural gift from God, there is nothing that we can do to modify, add, subtract, or create it for that matter. Whenever we try to interfere so directly in that process we risk creating exactly what Christ did not want, human religions built upon the minds and hands of man, not in the heart of man. Christ demanded a religion of the heart, which that hope and charity is universally recognizable regardless of faith.

[/quote]

I agree. You're sort of expanding on what Jesus said in John 3:16, right?

[color="#FF0000"]"For God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in him, may not perish, but may have life everlasting."[/color]

[Mark of the Cross]

[quote name='southern california guy' timestamp='1289798140' post='2187211']
So the Samaritan was operating strictly on the basis of love of his fellow man. He didn't share the same religion and he wasn't concerned about the religion. Perhaps a modern version of the "Good Samaritan" would be named "The Good Atheist".

Jesus emphasized that it was how the Samaritan [b]acted[/b] towards his fellow man that made him the neighbor -- not his belief. And Jesus told the expert on Jewish Law [color="#ff0000"]"Go, and[b] act[/b] similarly."[/color]

Is Jesus saying that it's not so important what we believe, but rather how we act -- and the love that we have for our fellow man -- that leads us to eternal life? Deeds without faith?

How do you guys interpret this?
[/quote]

It's a pity that so few people can see this. I've been trying to get that message across for some time and have failed dismally. I pray that your very lucid account will have more success. Well done!

Edited November 23, 2010 by Mark of the Cross

[Sternhauser]

[quote name='Mark of the Cross' timestamp='1290549154' post='2188870']
It's a pity that so few people can't see this. I've been trying to get that message across for some time and have failed dismally. I pray that your very lucid account will have more success. Well done!
[/quote]

And that we [i]act[/i] upon what we [i]believe,[/i] and we are what we do. Jesus was pretty cool. Still is.

~Sternhauser

[CatherineM]

I think faith is implied. Faith is what gives me the impetus to want to act.

[Socrates]

"I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father, but by me." ~ John 14:6

"Amen, amen, I say unto you: unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you. He that eats my flesh and drinks my blood has everlasting life, and I will raise him up in the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him." ~ John 6:53

[Winchester]

[quote name='Mr Cat' timestamp='1289813398' post='2187221']
... a sort of quasi-coherent way...
[/quote]
bro

[Mark of the Cross]

[quote name='CatherineM' timestamp='1290549571' post='2188874']
I think faith is implied. Faith is what gives me the impetus to want to act.
[/quote]

Agreed! What he's saying is that if you do these things, then you are demonstrating real faith by your actions, not just by words. Words don't say much, actions do. What's in your mind doesn't amount to much if you don't have it in your heart (Col) What's in your heart amounts to everything even if you don't have it in your mind.

[Destroyer of Heretics]

[quote name='southern california guy' timestamp='1289798140' post='2187211']
10:25 And behold, a certain expert in the law rose up, testing him and saying,[b] "Teacher, what must I do to possess eternal life?"[/b]
10:26 But he said to him:[color="#ff0000"] "What is written in the law? How do you read it?"[/color]
10:27 In response, he said: "You shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart, and from your whole soul, and from all your strength, and from all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."
10:28 And he said to him:[color="#ff0000"] "You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live."[/color]
10:29 But since he wanted to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
10:30 Then Jesus, taking this up, said:[color="#ff0000"] "A certain man descended from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he happened upon robbers, who now also plundered him. And inflicting him with wounds, they went away, leaving him behind, half-alive.[/color]
10:31 [color="#ff0000"]And it happened that a certain priest was descending along the same way. And seeing him, he passed by.[/color]
10:32 [color="#ff0000"]And similarly a Levite, when he was near the place, also saw him, and he passed by.[/color]
10:33 [color="#ff0000"]But a certain Samaritan, being on a journey, came near him. And seeing him, he was moved by mercy.[/color]
10:34 [color="#ff0000"]And approaching him, he bound up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. And setting him on his pack animal, he brought him to an inn, and he took care of him.[/color]
10:35 [color="#ff0000"]And the next day, he took out two denarii, and he gave them to the proprietor, and he said: 'Take care of him. And whatever extra you will have spent, I will repay to you at my return.'[/color]
10:36 [color="#ff0000"][b]Which of these three, does it seem to you, was a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?"[/b][/color]
10:37 Then he said, "The one who [b]acted[/b] with mercy toward him." And Jesus said to him, [color="#ff0000"]"Go, and [b]act[/b] similarly."[/color]

I find this passage interesting because it's an example of Jesus Christ specifically addressing the question of what we must do to 'possess' eternal life.

And I find it interesting that he never once mentioned 'belief'. The expert in Jewish law said that he had to love god and love his neighbor as himself, and Jesus did not correct him. He didn't tell him that he had to believe that he was god.

I suppose that it could be argued that you have to believe in god in order to love god. But when the expert in Jewish law questioned Jesus about who his "neighbor" was -- that he had to love as much as he loved himself -- Jesus chose to use a 'Samaritan' in his example. And a Samaritan is a member of the Samaritan religion -- not the Jewish religion. Samaritans were descendants from the country of Samaria. They worshiped idols, and burned offerings to their gods on alters.

So the Samaritan was operating strictly on the basis of love of his fellow man. He didn't share the same religion and he wasn't concerned about the religion. Perhaps a modern version of the "Good Samaritan" would be named "The Good Atheist".
[/quote]
## Very probably

Or she might be a pro-choice activist, helping where a deacon & a monsignor had hurried past on the other side of the road: the deacon was going to a retreat, & the monsignor to a pro-life rally. These are both admirable things - but finding Christ in our neighbour is more important. And if your neighbour is lying in a bloodied heap on the side of the road, the person to imitate is the pro-choice activist, because only she behaved rightly.

Jesus was saying something at least as shocking as that, & something very scandalous. It must have felt like an attack on all that his pious opponents were trying to preserve in very difficult circumstances.
[quote]
Jesus emphasized that it was how the Samaritan [b]acted[/b] towards his fellow man that made him the neighbor -- not his belief. And Jesus told the expert on Jewish Law [color="#ff0000"]"Go, and[b] act[/b] similarly."[/color]

Is Jesus saying that it's not so important what we believe, but rather how we act -- and the love that we have for our fellow man -- that leads us to eternal life? Deeds without faith?

How do you guys interpret this?
[/quote]
## That one of Jesus' purposes was to shock people out of their self-righteousness. His opponents were not wicked, but very admirable in their zeal for the Law and its requirements - that was the problem Because they were pious, not despite it, they ended up crucifying their own Messiah, in the name of their [notion of] God. That is not very PC, but the Gospels blame the Jews much more than the Romans: & this is essential to the Gospel message.

It is difficult to answer the question - there are so many levels to the answer.

[thessalonian]

Samaritans were a product of the captivity by the assyrians. They believed in the God of Israel but as one of many God's so that Jesus uses the Samritan is not a case for pointing to lack of belief, however imperfect it was. We are told in romans 2:14-16 that the laws of God are implanted on all men's hearts and that some live by these laws. One of these laws is that of the first commandment regarding the worship of the one true God, that all men deep down know exists. They may not have all the perfect theology but they live the first three commandments to the best of their ability, in part by living the last seven and loving their neighbor. We are told by Paul that faith, hope, and love abide and the greatest of these is not faith, it's LOVE. This is plain throughtout the scriptures. This is just another example of it and it is no dis on faith.