The Good Samaritan Company
(week 47/06)
Olubi Johnson
Luke 10:25-37 KJV: And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26 He said unto him, what is written in the law? How readest thou? 27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. 29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, and who is my neighbour? 30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
Here, in the story of the Good Samaritan we see a present day prophetic truth.
The man going down from Jerusalem to Jericho is symbolic of the church that is retrogressing from the place of the revelation and operation of the love of God by the Spirit: the New Jerusalem that is from above (Gal. 4.26) to a place of material and financial prosperity without the corresponding spiritual prosperity symbolized by Jericho.
This kind of church or Christian is typified by the Laodicean church in
Revelation 3:14-19 KJV: And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
This church or Christian has been robbed (Jn. 10.1,10) by religion (i.e. seeking God man’s way) to seek after material wealth at the expense of their spiritual well being. So they are spiritually poor, naked, wounded and half dead: this is true of many evangelical and Pentecostal Christians and churches today.
The Levite and the Priest represent those in Ministry today: they will not stop to help the church that is half-dead and naked for fear of what will happen to them if they did.
Today this translates to selfishness in the ministry. Many ministers will not risk preaching the pure undiluted Word of God that will heal the wounds, nakedness and spiritual poverty of this half dead church, for fear of losing the crowd and the money they bring.
The Good Samaritan represents a company in the church, that is developed in the love of God and so is compassionate and fearless and so risks stopping to help the church that is half dead.
The Good Samaritan pours in oil and wine into the wounds of the half dead church: this represents the life of God and revelation knowledge.
He carries him on his beast to an inn or hotel and gives the keeper two pence to care for the man with the assurance that when he comes he will repay whatever extra the innkeeper spends.
The beast represents intercessory prayer for the church that carries the church into a place of safety, protection and covering which is the inn.
The innkeeper are Christians who are given ‘two pence’: revelation of the Word and Spirit by the teachings of the Good Samaritan company and they continue to look after and minister to the half-dead recovering church. Whatever extra they ‘spend’ will be supplied by God’s sovereignty and paid for when the Lord comes again to the church in the fullness of His glory.
So to be a ‘Good Samaritan’ Christian now you need to develop the love of God by the blood, Word and the Spirit so that it will cast out fear (1 Jn 2.5; 4.12-18; 5.6) and selfishness, so through intercession and the ministry of Word you can save the present half dead church that has been robbed, wounded and stripped of its righteousness by an inaccurate prosperity message.
