So here is a priest who's a typical priest in the Jewish system who is self-justified and

seems to be righteous to those around him, but doesn't love God or others.

Welcome to Grace to you with John MacArthur. I'm your host Phil Johnson.

For centuries, the parable of the Good Samaritan has inspired vast amounts of charitable work,

and while those noble efforts are certainly things to be thankful for, the truth is

they miss the point of this parable entirely. So what is the parable of the Good Samaritan really about?

And why is it arguably the most misunderstood of the 40 parables of Jesus and the Bible?

Well John MacArthur is going to help you see what Jesus was getting at when he told this amazing

story, and how this parable applies to you today. It's part of John's study titled Stories with

Purpose. And with a lesson now, here is John. Parables are familiar to many people, but not always

correctly understood, and one such parable is the one to which I draw your attention. Open your

Bible to Luke 10, verse 30, and the very familiar parable of the Good Samaritan, the Good Samaritan.

Very familiar to Christians and non-Christians alike. In fact, we all know what it means when you

call someone a Good Samaritan. That's a compliment. That generally means that someone

shows kindness, mercy, compassion, care to some other person in need, and that's good. That's

virtuous. God is honored by that. But that being said, the parable of the Good Samaritan is largely

misunderstood. People are familiar with the story, but not so familiar with the point of the story.

And to some degree, we expect that because the truth of our Lord's parable teaching is hidden.

If you go back to chapter 10, verse 21, Jesus says to His followers, at this very time, He rejoiced

greatly in the Holy Spirit and said, I praise you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth,

that you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to infants,

yes, Father, for this way was well pleasing in your sight. And then in verse 23,

...