Jesus Christ taught in parables, some of which we actually remember and can reference in a gospel lesson or conversation. Less well known than the parables themselves are the stories that prompted the telling of the parable in the first place. In most cases, the prompting or motivating reason as to why the parable was given in the first place can help us understand the parable’s intended meaning. Unlike the Star Wars movies, knowing the prequels can actually be a valuable and important addition to the original parable itself.
Take the story of the parable of The Good Samaritan. The “prequel” to the Good Samaritan is recorded in Luke 10:25-29:
25 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?
Through these short verses we can learn quite a bit, including what it takes to inherit eternal life. (And when it comes down to it, what’s more important than that?) Love God, and love your neighbor. So simple, so beautiful, yet so easily misunderstood. The same question that was asked of the lawyer could be asked of us as well, “How readest thou?” How do we read the parable? Do we just read the parable itself or do we read the part that comes before it?
The parable that follows these verses is expounding on what it means to gain eternal life. Taken alone, the parable teaches us what it means to take care of other people, our neighbor’s, and that is good. But knowing the prequel to the parable we see that Jesus is really still teaching how we are to inherit eternal life, and how we are to help others achieve the same. That means that as much as getting baptized, and making other covenants are important, Jesus Christ’s chosen response here was that eternal life was based on our relationships with others.
This sort of gives more meaning to home teaching and visiting teaching now doesn’t it?
Merlin R. Lybbert (member of the Seventy and Father-in-law of newly called Apostle Elder Renlund) offered this comparison in the April 1990 General Conference, “In this dramatic parable, Jesus contrasted the response of the two respected religionists with that of a despised citizen of Samaria. There is at least a scintilla of similarity here to an elders president, a high priests group leader, a member of the bishopric, or a home teacher, and to the less-active brother or sister who has fallen inactive by the wayside. Perhaps we do not despise them, but we sometimes ignore them or otherwise disregard them. Each of us can be a good Samaritan by dealing compassionately with these neglected brothers and sisters.”
Home and visiting teaching aren’t just going over to check a mark on the monthly reports, it is paving the way for our (and hopefully our neighbor’s) exaltation and eternal life. So, next time you drive home and pass your neighbors, remember, they hold a key to you obtaining eternal life. They aren’t just the people who don’t mow their lawns, or put away their trash cans, or in my case, neighbors are “those people” who inhale so much pot on their back patio that the smoke gets sucked into your swamp cooler and make your whole family get a contact high before going to bed (perhaps my neighbors should read the prequel to the Word of Wisdom…)
Nick Galieti is an experienced podcaster as both producer/host of The Good Word Podcast, and was named the recipient of the 2015 John Taylor: Defender of the Faith Award by FairMormon for his podcasting effort with that organization. Nick has directed and produced two documentaries on the life of Joseph Smith Jr., Picturing Joseph, and Murder of the Mormon Prophet.
Nick is also a published author of the books Tree of Sacrament, and The Exaltation Equation. A past guest of The Cultural Hall (click here to listen), Nick now contributes as co-host of The Cultural Hall Book Club Podcast, and writes regularly for the blog. Nick was born in Southern California, and served a mission to the Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Nick is a freelance sound engineer of over 15 years, is married, has 5 daughters, and now lives in West Valley City, Utah.