I read the following interpretation of St. John Chrysostom.
St John Chrysostom helps us see through this text God’s constant and all-embracing love for us. This parable becomes a word-picture of the entire mystery of salvation:
A man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho – Adam, by trusting in himself instead of God, descended from Paradise into this world. Jericho, at 825 feet below sea level is the lowest city on earth, as far down as you can get.
He fell among robbers – Mankind apart from God is beset by the band of demonic powers led by the ruler of this age.
They stripped him of his raiment – the robe of immortality.
They departed, leaving him half dead – he was reduced to the half-life of this earth, subject to sin and death.
It happened that a priest …and a Levite came that way, but passed by on the other side – The people of Israel kept to themselves and did not aid mankind.
But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine – Christ, not from this world, who was accused of being a Samaritan (John 8:48), is that compassionate stranger. He doctors mankind by His teachings (the bandages), His anointing with the Holy Spirit (the oil), and the Eucharist (the wine) by which He begins our healing.
He set him on his own beast, brought him to an inn and took care of him – Christ joined mankind to His own human nature, brought him to the hospital of His Church and continued to minister to him as the divine physician.
When he left on the next day he gave the innkeeper two dinars and said, ‘Take care of him’ – After His ascension Christ entrusted mankind to the Apostolic Synod personified by its great apostle to the Gentiles, St Paul, and “through Paul to the high priests and teachers and ministers of each church,” saying: “Take care of the Gentiles whom I have given to you in the Church. Since men are sick, wounded by sin, heal them, putting on them a stone plaster, that is, the prophetic sayings and the gospel teachings, making them whole through the admonitions and exhortations of the Old and New Testaments.” So according to St. John Chrysostom, Paul is the one who upholds the churches of God “and heals all men through spiritual admonitions, distributing the bread of offering to each one…”
‘And when I come again I will repay you’ – At my second coming I will reward you
Source :
https://melkite.org/faith/sunday-scriptures/through-the-prism-of-the-fathersThe above teaching is beautifully represented in the following icon.
I looked at all works of St. John Chrysostom available online in English, that I am familiar with.
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/chrysostom?show=worksBy I could not find the teaching of St. John Chrysostom paraphrased in the above quote.
Can someone please point me to the work of St. John Chrysostom where he gives the above teachingSt. Augustine is giving a very similar interpretation:
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf106.vii.lxxxiii.html
