● The Good Samaritan: A Literary Approach through Luke

Jesus used parables to draw his audience or readers into the story, encouraging them to engage with the parable. For the audience to participate in a parable, it must be based on situations that could actually happen, rather than being impossible scenarios. This is why Jesus chose the subjects of his parables from the everyday life of that time. The parables Jesus used were fresh, unique, and creative to such an extent that they should be treated as a completely new genre, distinct from the parables found in literature. Nevertheless, we often miss the intentions of Jesus, the narrator, by approaching his parables too simplistically.

A prime example of this is the parable of the Good Samaritan. The common interpretation of this parable is to understand it morally, encouraging the audience to act like the Good Samaritan who helped someone in need rather than turning away. However, this approach can be seen as a reader-centered interpretation that overlooks the intentions of Jesus, the narrator, and the narrative techniques employed by Luke. Some messages in the Bible can be dealt with simply and straightforwardly, but others require a more sophisticated approach. We should not approach all messages in a one-dimensional, simplistic way. For this reason, it is worth considering the question posed by the title of the book, “Why do Christians need literacy?”