1. The Parable of the Good Samaritan (according to Augustine)
A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho: Adam
Jerusalem: the heavenly city of peace from which Adam fell/ejected
Jericho: the moon, signifying Adams mortality
Robbers: the devil and his angels
Stripped him: of his immortality
Beat him: by persuading him to sin
Leaving him half dead: he died spiritually so is half dead
The Priest & the Levite: the priesthood & ministry of the Old Test.
Samaritan: means “Guardian”, therefore Christ is meant
Bandaged his wounds: binding the restraint of sin
Oil: comfort of good hope
Wine: encouragement to work with a fervent spirit
Donkey/beast: the flesh of Christ’s incarnation,
Inn: the church
The next day: after the resurrection
Two silver coins: promise of this life and the life to come
Innkeeper: the Apostle Paul

2. Mark 4 verses 10-12
10 Later, when Jesus was alone with the twelve disciples and with the others who were gathered around, they asked him what the parables meant.
11 He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secret of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables for everything I say to outsiders, 12 so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled:
‘When they see what I do, they will learn nothing.
When they hear what I say, they will not understand.
Otherwise, they will turn to me and be forgiven.’”

3. The Parables of Jesus
A parable is a story with familiar key characters or objects but with an unexpected ending. It is not an allegory, where each element in the story means something quite foreign to the story itself.
An allegory is all about hidden meaning
but a parable is not.
The one main point about a parable
is that there is one main point about a parable.

4. or to invite/call forth a response or insight
The purpose of a parable is to capture the hearers’ attention and to challenge their attitudes or behaviour,
or to invite/call forth a response or insight
to catch a point or be caught by it!
There are two big contexts in which Jesus tells parables:
Parables of conflict with Pharisees & teachers of Law
Parable of two debtors at Simon the Pharisee’s home in Luke 7 verses 39-50
Also Prodigal Son, Good Samaritan, Workers in Vineyard
2. Parables of the Kingdom or those which start by saying
“The kingdom of heaven is like...”
“Life is like this in the Kingdom of God...”

5. The parables capture the “now but not yet” of the Kingdom of God
The Urgency of the Kingdom
the rich fool (Luke 12)
the shrewd manager (Luke 16)
The Good News of the Kingdom
the treasure in field & expensive pearl (Matthew 13)
the lost sheep, coin & sons (Luke 15)