Jesus began the parable of the good Samaritan with these words: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho…” (Luke 10:30). Examining a map of the area, one might wonder how Jesus could say that the man “went down” when he traveled. Jerusalem and Jericho are about 17 miles apart, with Jerusalem located in a southwesterly direction from Jericho.
The terrain between these two cities was both rocky and steep. Jesus meant that the traveler descended as he made his way toward Jericho. Traveling as this man did, one would come down from a height of about 3,000 feet above sea level to a place more than 1000 feet below the surface of the Mediterranean Sea. Moreover, robbers had plenty of places to hide along the way. Jesus’ listeners immediately understood the man’s vulnerability. A little background information like this can enhance our understanding of this parable as well.
Luke 10:30-37
William Hendriksen, The Gospel of Luke, (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1978), 593.
Thomas V. Brisco, Holman Bible Atlas, (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998), 218
http://bibleresources.americanbible.org/node/1491
This is part 4 of a 4-part series. You can access each part in sequence beginning with part 1.
Copyright © 2014 by B. Nathaniel Sullivan. All Rights Reserved.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture has been taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.