To the parable in the Gospel of Luke, which says: “A certain man walked... and was caught by robbers” (Luke 10:30)

Indeed, according to the divine apostle, “those who run in the race all run, but one receives the reward” (“those who run into disgrace all run away, but only one receives honor”) (1 Cor. 9:24). Today the priest walked, and the Levite walked, and only the Samaritan received the reward. He easily outstripped those who had gone ahead; What those who were taught the law did not do, the foreigner did with success. They, seeing their own nature in danger in another, closed their compassionate hearts and, closing their eyes, walked as if past a lying dead pillar, just as the rich man was never merciful to Lazarus, abandoned in front of his door; the unfaithful Samaritan, more faithful than the Jews, forgetting about his work, comforted the stranger, and, forgetting about his urgent need, hurried to court the stricken man, and, not knowing the law, fulfilled it, doing everything according to the law: “for when the pagans, who do not have the law, by nature do what is lawful, then, not having the law, they are a law unto themselves: they show that the work of the law is written in their hearts, as their conscience and their thoughts testify, sometimes accusing, sometimes justifying one another" ("whenever the pagans, not having the law, create the law by nature, these, not having the law, are a law unto themselves: they show the work of the law written in their hearts, with a conscience that obeys them, and with a condemning thought among themselves") (Rom. 2:14-15). So what does the evangelist say? “A certain man went from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among the robbers, who took off his clothes, wounded him and left, leaving him barely alive” (“A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the robbers, who led him astray, and laid wounds, leaving him barely alive”). According to adventure 1, “one priest was walking along that road and, seeing him, passed by. Likewise, the Levite, being at that place, came up, looked and passed by. A Samaritan, passing by, found him and, seeing him, took pity and, coming up, bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine; and, setting him on his donkey, brought him to the inn and took care of him; and the next day, as he was leaving, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper and said to him: take care of him; and if you spend anything more, when I return, I will give it to you" ("a certain priest came along that way, and saw him, and went to Mimoida. And the Levite, being in that place, came and saw him, and Mimoida. But a certain Samaritan came over him, and when he saw him, she was merciful: and he began to bind his scabs, pouring in oil and wine: and having set him on his cattle, he brought him to the inn, and sat down with him. And when I left, I took out two denarii and gave them to the host, and said to him, “Be faithful to him; and if you have been faithful, when I return, I will repay you” (Luke 10:30–35). Let us learn: what is Jerusalem and what is Jericho; and who are the robbers with whom he accidentally met; and what were the clothes which they took from him; and what are the wounds which they caused to man; and why they walked away, leaving him half-dead; and who is a priest, and who is a Levite, and who is a Samaritan; and what is oil, and what is wine, and what are bandages; and what are cattle; and what is a hotel and hotel; and what is two denarii, and what is the excess cost which he promised to pay; and what is the return of the Samaritan? So a man was walking from Jerusalem to Jericho. Jerusalem is paradise, Jericho is this world; the man who walked from Jerusalem to Jericho is the primordial Adam; after being expelled from paradise, he went to Jericho, that is, to this world. “And he fell among the robbers” (“And having come, he fell among the robbers”), i.e., to cruel, crafty demons; they took off from him the robe of immortality which he had worn before his sin; They clothed him with fig leaves. Why in fig leaves? Because they are tough and bitter. Since after the sin harshness of affairs and a lot of bitterness befell him, therefore, he was dressed in fig leaves. “They wounded him” (“And they laid plagues”), i.e., everyday suffering. Namely: “in sorrow you will eat from it all the days of your life; She will bring forth thorns and thistles for you; in sickness you will give birth to children” (“in the sweat of your brow you shall bear your bread; thorns and thistles will the earth grow for you; in sickness you will bear children”) (Gen. 3:16–19); these are wounds to the soul. “They left, leaving him barely alive” (“And... otidosha, leaving him barely alive”): having transgressed the commandment of God, Adam was neither among the living nor completely dead, since he did not completely renounce God. “By chance, a certain priest walked that road” (“By accident, a certain priest went along that path.”) He did not say: by chance, but: “by adventure”; “by chance” - (means) “not foreseen, unexpectedly, when something happens to someone by itself”; “by adventure” - (means) when someone does something according to the providence of God; here, according to the providence of God, the priest walked that way. “And when he saw him, the Levite also passed by.” (And when he saw him, the Levite is the same.) Who is the priest, and the Levite is the word of the prophet. They, by the providence of God, came to care for the wounded robbers; they passed by when they did not have the power to restore the one who was lying. Christ, the guardian of our souls. “Samaritan” means “guard.” He said: “A Samaritan, passing by, found him” (“a Samaritan came, came”); “And when he saw him, he had compassion, and came and bandaged his wounds, pouring in oil and wine.” What are bandages, and what is oil, and what is wine? Bandages are the commands of Christ, oil is holy anointing, wine is the sacrament of faith. These three heal our spiritual wounds. Our new mentees know what we say. “And, having mounted him on his donkey, he brought him to the inn” (“Having mounted him on your cattle, bring him to the inn”). Christ calls his own cattle the body that He received for us from the most immaculate Virgin. He placed on His cattle those wounded by robbers, because, according to the prophet Isaiah, “He took upon Himself our infirmities and bore our illnesses” (“This one bears our sins and suffers for us”) (Is. 53:4). “I brought him to the hotel,” that is, to the holy church; and took care of him first himself. “And the next day, as he was leaving” (“Nautria left”), i.e., after the holy resurrection, “he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper” (“he took out two denarii to the innkeeper”). Who is the “keeper of the inn” (“gostinnik”), and what are “two denarii”? The innkeeper is the Apostle Paul, who was placed at the head of the church of the pagans; he is called the innkeeper because he accepts everyone and draws everyone to salvation. Christ after His resurrection, having taken out two denarii, the Old and New Testaments, “gave it to the innkeeper and said to him: take care of him”; I hand it over to you a pagan people, wounded by the most cruel robbers; only take care of them; and whatever you spend in excess, I will give you back at My return. What did Paul spend beyond the fourteen denarii that he sent to the pagans? What does it mean: “When I return, I will repay you”? “At My second coming, when I come to judge the living and the dead, at My return, I will give you what you spend in excess,” just as Paul himself says: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; and now there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who loved His appearing" (“I have fought the good fight, I have passed away, I have kept the faith. Other things... the crown of righteousness is kept for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will reward me on the day: not only to me, but also to all who loved His appearing”) (2 Tim. 4:7-8). May it be that we all may receive such a crown, by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father with the Holy Spirit be glory and dominion, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. The preacher further distinguishes between συντυχία and the gospel συγκυπία. We could not bear this distinction except as "chance" and "adventure." Creations attributed to St. John Chrysostom and in the Patrology of Min, classified as Spuria. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us. – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: