Olney Hymns · Chapter
The Good Samaritan explained
The poem reflects on the parable of the Good Samaritan, applying it to the speaker's own experience of sin and redemption.
What happens
The poem reflects on the parable of the Good Samaritan, applying it to the speaker's own experience of sin and redemption. The speaker, wounded by sin and ignored by others, is rescued by Jesus, the true Good Samaritan, who heals his wounds, brings him to the church, and promises eternal life in heaven.
Themes in this chapter
Grace and Unmerited Favor
The Good Samaritan's compassion and the healing of the wounded man illustrate God's unmerited grace toward sinners.
Hope of Heaven and Eternal Life
The final stanza expresses the believer's hope of being taken to a heavenly home, free from suffering.
Characters to notice
- Jesus Christ
Portrayed as the Good Samaritan who pities and heals the fallen sinner.
- The Narrator
The speaker who identifies with the wounded man, recounting his own experience of being saved by Christ.
- The Jews
Mentioned as those who despise Samaritans, illustrating the cultural context of the parable.
- The Samaritans
Referenced in the comparison, but the focus is on the Good Samaritan as a type of Christ.
Key passages
“How kind the good Samaritan / To him who fell among the thieves!”
The Samaritan's kindness to the wounded traveler is a picture of Christ's compassion for fallen humanity.
The opening lines establish the allegorical interpretation of the parable.
“Oh! I remember well the day / When, sorely wounded, nearly slain, / Like that poor man, I bleeding lay, / And groan’d for help, but groan’d in vain.”
The speaker recalls his own spiritual condition, wounded by sin and helpless, with no one to rescue him.
The speaker identifies with the man in the parable, emphasizing personal application.
“But He whose name had been my scorn / (As Jews Samaritans despise) / Came, when he saw me thus forlorn, / With love and pity in his eyes.”
Christ, whom the speaker once despised, came to him in his helpless state, showing love and compassion.
The irony of the despised Samaritan being the savior is applied to Christ.
“Unto his church my steps he led, / The house prepared for sinners lost, / Gave charge I should be clothed and fed, / And took upon him all the cost.”
Christ brought the speaker into the church, provided for his needs, and paid the full price for his salvation.
The church is seen as the inn where the wounded are cared for, and Christ bears the cost.
“Thus saved from death, from want secured, / I wait till he again shall come / (When I shall be completely cured,) / And take me to his heavenly home.”
Having been saved from spiritual death and provided for, the speaker awaits Christ's return, when he will be fully healed and taken to heaven.
The final stanza expresses the believer's confident hope in eternal life.