Church Fathers Commentary Luke 10:29-37

"But he, desiring to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor? Jesus made answer and said, A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho; and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance a certain priest was going down that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And in like manner a Levite also, when he came to the place, and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he was moved with compassion, and came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on [them] oil and wine; and he set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow he took out two shillings, and gave them to the host, and said, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, I, when I come back again, will repay thee. Which of these three, thinkest thou, proved neighbor unto him that fell among the robbers? And he said, He that showed mercy on him. And Jesus said unto him, Go, and do thou likewise." — Luke 10:29-37 (ASV)

St. Cyril of Alexandria: The lawyer, when praised by our Savior for having answered correctly, erupts in pride, thinking he had no neighbor, as if no one could compare to him in righteousness. This is why it says, But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

For it seems that first one sin and then another captures him. From the cunning with which he sought to tempt Christ, he falls into pride. But here, in asking, “Who is my neighbor?” he proves himself to be without love for his neighbor, since he did not consider anyone to be his neighbor. Consequently, he is also without the love of God, for he who does not love his brother whom he sees, cannot love God whom he does not see.

St. Ambrose of Milan: He answered that he did not know his neighbor because he did not believe in Christ. And he who does not know Christ does not know the law; for being ignorant of the truth, how can he know the law that reveals the truth?

Theophylact of Ohrid: Now our Savior defines a neighbor not regarding actions or honor, but regarding nature. It is as if He says, “Do not think that because you are righteous you have no neighbor, for all who share the same nature are your neighbors. You should also be their neighbor, not in location, but in affection and care for them.” And in addition to this, He presents the Samaritan as an example. As it follows, And Jesus, answering him, said, “A certain man went down...”

Greek Expositors: He has rightly used this general term. For He does not say, “a certain one went down,” but, a certain man, for His discourse was about the whole human race.

St. Augustine of Hippo: For that man is understood to be Adam himself, representing the human race. Jerusalem is the city of peace, that heavenly country from whose bliss he fell. Jericho is interpreted as the moon and signifies our mortality, because it rises, grows, wanes, and sets.

Pseudo-Augustine: Or by Jerusalem, which is interpreted as “the sight of peace,” we mean Paradise. For before man sinned, he was in sight of peace—that is, in paradise; whatever he saw was peace. And going from there he descended (as if brought low and made miserable by sin) into Jericho, that is, the world, in which all things that are born die, like the moon.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Now he does not say “descended,” but “was descending.” For human nature was always tending downward, and not just for a time, but constantly occupied with a life liable to suffering.

St. Basil the Great: This interpretation corresponds to the locations, if one examines them. For Jericho lies in the lowlands of Palestine, while Jerusalem is seated on a high place, occupying the crest of a mountain. The man, then, came from the high places to the low and fell into the hands of the robbers who infested the desert. As it follows, And he fell among thieves.

St. John Chrysostom: First, we must pity the misfortune of the man who fell unarmed and helpless among robbers, and who was so rash and unwise as to choose a road where he could not escape their attack. For the unarmed can never escape the armed, the careless the villain, the unwary the malicious. Since malice is always armed with guile, fenced in with cruelty, fortified with deceit, and ready for a fierce attack.

St. Ambrose of Milan: But who are these robbers but the angels of night and darkness? He would not have fallen among them unless, by deviating from the divine command, he had placed himself in their path.

St. John Chrysostom: At the beginning of the world, then, the devil carried out his treacherous attack on man, against whom he used the poison of deceit and directed all the deadliness of his malice.

St. Augustine of Hippo: He fell, then, among robbers—that is, the devil and his angels. Through the disobedience of the first man, they stripped the human race of the adornments of virtue and wounded him by ruining the gift of the power of free will. Hence it follows, who stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed. For to that man, by sinning, they gave one wound, but to us they give many wounds, since to the one sin we contract from birth, we add many more.

Or, they stripped man of his immortality and, by wounding him (by persuading him to sin), left him half-dead. For in that he is able to understand and know God, man is alive; but in that he is corrupted and pressed down by sins, he is dead. And this is what is added: leaving him half-dead.

Pseudo-Augustine: For the half-dead man has his vital function (that is, free will) wounded, in that he is not able to return to the eternal life he has lost. And therefore he lay there, because he did not have sufficient strength of his own to rise and seek a physician—that is, God—to heal him.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Alternatively, man after sin is said to be half-dead because his soul is immortal but his body is mortal, so that half of man is under death. Or, it is because his human nature hoped to obtain salvation in Christ, so as not to lie completely under death. But just as death entered the world in that Adam had sinned, so in the righteousness of Christ death was to be destroyed.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Or, they stripped us of the garments of spiritual grace that we have received, and so are accustomed to inflict wounds. For if we keep the unspotted garments we have put on, we cannot feel the wounds of robbers.

St. Basil the Great: Or, it may be understood that they stripped us after first inflicting wounds. Alternatively, wounds precede nakedness, just as sin precedes the absence of grace.

The Venerable Bede: But sins are called wounds because the perfection of human nature is violated by them. And they departed, not by ceasing to lie in wait, but by hiding the craftiness of their schemes.

St. John Chrysostom: Here, then, was man (that is, Adam) lying destitute of the aid of salvation, pierced with the wounds of his sins. Neither Aaron the high priest, passing by, could help him with his sacrifice, for it follows, And by chance there came down a certain priest that way; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Nor, again, could his brother Moses assist him by the Law, as it follows, And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Or, the Priest and the Levite represent two eras: namely, that of the Law and that of the Prophets. The Priest signifies the Law, by which the priesthood and sacrifices were appointed; the Levite signifies the prophecies of the Prophets. In their times, the law could not heal mankind, because through the Law came the knowledge of sin, not its removal.

Theophylact of Ohrid: But He says they “passed by” because the Law came and remained until its foreordained time; then, being unable to cure, it departed. Note also that the Law was not given with the prior intention of curing man, for from the beginning man could not receive the mystery of Christ. And therefore it is said, And by chance there came a certain priest, an expression we use for things that happen without forethought.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Or, it says they “passed by” because the man who came down from Jerusalem to Jericho is believed to have been an Israelite. The priest who came down, certainly his neighbor by birth, passed him by as he lay on the ground. A Levite also came by, who was likewise his neighbor by birth, and he also despised him as he lay there.

Theophylact of Ohrid: They pitied him, I say, when they thought about him, but afterward, overcome by selfishness, they went away. This is what is signified by the words, “passed him by.”

St. Augustine of Hippo: A Samaritan, coming by, who was far removed by birth but very near in compassion, acted as follows: But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was... In this Samaritan, our Lord Jesus Christ wanted to be typified. For “Samaritan” is interpreted as “keeper,” and it is said of Him, “He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” Since, being raised from the dead, He dies no more. Lastly, when it was said to Him, “You are a Samaritan and have a devil,” He said He did not have a devil, for He knew Himself to be the one who casts out devils. He did not deny that He was the keeper of the weak.

Greek Expositors: Now Christ here effectively calls Himself a Samaritan. For in addressing the lawyer who was glorying in the Law, He wished to express that neither the Priest, nor the Levite, nor any of those who were experts in the Law fulfilled its requirements. Instead, He came to accomplish the ordinances of the Law.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Now this Samaritan was also coming down. For who is it that ascended into heaven, but He who came down from heaven, even the Son of Man who is in heaven?

Theophylact of Ohrid: But He says He was “journeying,” as though He purposely set out on this path in order to cure us.

St. Augustine of Hippo: He came in the likeness of sinful flesh and was therefore near to him, as it were, in likeness.

Greek Expositors: Or, He came along the way. For He was a true traveler, not a wanderer, and He came down to earth for our sakes.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Now when He came, He was made very near to us by taking our infirmities upon Himself; He became a neighbor by bestowing compassion. Hence it follows, And when he saw him, he had compassion.

Pseudo-Augustine: He saw him lying down weak and motionless. And He was moved with compassion because He saw in him nothing that merited a cure, but He Himself, for our sake, condemned sin in the flesh. Hence it follows, And he went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine.

St. Augustine of Hippo: For what is so distant, what so far removed, as God from man, the immortal from the mortal, the just from sinners? This is not a distance of place, but of likeness. Since He had in Himself two good things—righteousness and immortality—and we have two evils—unrighteousness and mortality—if He had taken upon Himself both our evils, He would have been our equal and would have needed a deliverer along with us.

Therefore, so that He might be not what we are, but near to us, He was made not a sinner, as you are, but mortal like you. By taking punishment upon Himself, but not guilt, He destroyed both the punishment and the guilt.

The binding up of wounds is the restraining of sins. The oil is the comfort of a good hope, given through the pardon that reconciles man. The wine is the encouragement to work fervently in spirit.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Or, he binds up our wounds with a stricter commandment; with oil, he soothes us by the remission of sin; and with wine, he pricks our hearts with the denunciation of judgment.

St. Gregory the Great: Or, with the wine he applies the sharpness of constraint, and with the oil, the softness of mercy. By wine, let the corrupt parts be washed; by oil, let the healing parts be soothed. We must, then, mix gentleness with severity. We must combine the two in such a way that those who are put under our care are neither exasperated by our excessive harshness nor made lax by too much kindness.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Alternatively, interaction with man is the oil, and interaction with God is the wine, which signifies divinity. No one can endure this unmixed unless the oil—that is, human interaction—is added. Hence, He did some things humanly and some things divinely. He poured in oil and wine, then, having saved us by both His human and His divine nature.

St. John Chrysostom: Or, he poured in wine, that is, the blood of His passion, and oil, that is, the anointing of the chrism, so that pardon might be granted by His blood and sanctification conferred by the chrism. The wounded parts are bound up by the heavenly Physician and, containing a salve within themselves, are restored to their former health by the working of the remedy. Having poured in wine and oil, he placed him on his own beast, as it follows: and setting him on his own animal...

St. Augustine of Hippo: His beast is our flesh, in which He condescended to come to us. To be placed on the beast is to believe in the incarnation of Christ.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Or, He places us on His beast in that He bears our sins and is afflicted for us. For man has been made like the beasts; therefore, He placed us on His beast so that we might not be like the horse and mule, and so that by taking our body upon Himself, He might abolish the weakness of our flesh.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Or, He placed us on His beast—that is, on His body. For He has made us His members and partakers of His body. The Law indeed did not accept all the Moabites, and the Ammonites could not enter the assembly of God. But now, in every nation, he who fears the Lord and is willing to believe and become part of the Church is accepted by Him. Therefore He says that he brought him to an inn.

St. John Chrysostom: For the inn is the Church, which receives travelers who are tired from their journey through the world and oppressed with the load of their sins. There, the weary traveler, casting down the burden of his sins, is relieved and, after being refreshed, is restored with wholesome food. And this is what is said here: and took care of him. For outside the inn is everything that is conflicting, harmful, and evil, while within the inn is all rest and health.

The Venerable Bede: And He easily brought him, placed on His beast, since no one, unless he is united to Christ’s body by Baptism, shall enter the Church.

St. Ambrose of Milan: But as the Samaritan did not have time to stay longer on the earth, he had to return to the place from where he had descended, as it follows: And on the next day he took out two pence... What is that “next day” but perhaps the day of our Lord’s resurrection, of which it was said, This is the day that the LORD has made. The two pence are the two covenants, which bear the stamped image of the eternal King, and by their price our wounds are healed.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Or, the two pence are the two commandments of love, which the Apostles received from the Holy Spirit to preach to others. They could also be the promise of the present life and the life to come.

Origen of Alexandria: Or, the two pence seem to me to be the knowledge of the mystery of how the Father is in the Son and the Son is in the Father. This knowledge is given as a reward by the Angel to the Church so that she may take more diligent care of the man entrusted to her, whom He Himself had also cured in the short time He was there. And it is promised that whatever more she should spend on the cure of the half-dead man will be restored to her again: And whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The innkeeper was the Apostle, who spent more. He did this either in giving counsel, as he says, “Now concerning virgins, I have no commandment of the Lord, yet I give my judgment,” or in working with his own hands so that he might not trouble any of the weak in the newness of the Gospel, though it was lawful for him to be supported by the Gospel. The Apostles also spent much more, but so too have those teachers in their own time who have interpreted both the Old and New Testaments, for which they shall receive their reward.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Blessed, then, is that innkeeper who is able to cure the wounds of another. Blessed is he to whom Jesus says, “Whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.” But when will You return, O Lord, except on the Day of Judgment? For though You are always everywhere, and though You stand in our midst and are not perceived by us, yet the time will come when all flesh shall see You coming again. You will then restore what You owe to the blessed, to whom You are a debtor. Would that we were confident debtors, so that we could repay what we have received!

St. Cyril of Alexandria: After what has been said, our Lord fittingly questions the lawyer: “Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell among the thieves?” But he said, “The one who showed him mercy.” For neither the Priest nor the Levite became a neighbor to the one who suffered, but only he who had compassion on him. For the dignity of the priesthood and the knowledge of the Law are in vain unless they are confirmed by good works. Hence it follows, And Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

St. John Chrysostom: It is as if He said, “If you see anyone oppressed, do not say, ‘Surely he is wicked.’ Instead, whether he is a Gentile or a Jew and needs help, do not argue; he has a claim to your assistance, no matter what evil he has fallen into.”

St. Augustine of Hippo: By this we understand that our neighbor is anyone to whom we must show the duty of compassion if he needs it, or to whom we would have shown it if he had needed it. From this it follows that he who must, in turn, show us this duty is also our neighbor. For the name “neighbor” is relational, and no one can be a neighbor except to a neighbor. But it is plain to all that no one is excluded from the duty of mercy, as our Lord says, “Do good to those who hate you.”

Hence it is clear that the holy angels, by whom such great acts of mercy are bestowed upon us, are included in this command by which we are told to love our neighbor. Therefore, our Lord Himself also wished to be called our neighbor, representing Himself as the one who assisted the half-dead man who lay on the road.

St. Ambrose of Milan: For relationship does not make a neighbor, but compassion does, for compassion is in accord with nature. For nothing is so natural as to help one who shares our nature.