Biblical Interpretation

Have we read the Bible and sometimes a "revelation" or "illumination" comes to us?
Do we know whether our "revelation" is a proper understanding / interpretation and application of the passage?

Check this "revelation" of an interpretation of the Parable of the Good Samaritan from Luke 10:30-37.
A well known church father and scholar from the 5th Century AD had this interpretation of this passage.


The Man who was robbed is Adam
He was going down from Jerusalem = Heavenly city of peace, from which Adam fell

He was going to Jericho = the moon, and thereby signifies Adam’s mortality

Thieves / Robbers = the devil and his angels

Stripped him = stripped him of his immortality

Beat him = by persuading him to sin

Left him half-dead = he lives physically but spiritually he is dead, so he is half-dead

The Priest and the Levite = the Priesthood and ministry of the OT - they couldn't save Adam

The Samaritan = Guardian, and therefore Christ himself is meant

Bound the man's wounds = means binding the restraint of sin

with Oil = Comfort of good hope

and Wine = Exhortation to work with a fervent spirit

The Samaritan put the man on the donkey / Beast = flesh of Christ’s incarnation;

and brought the man to the Inn = Church

The Morrow / the Next Day = After the Resurrection

The Samaritan gave Two pence / silver coins = Promise of the life and the Life to come

to the Innkeeper = Paul

This interpretation is so novel that one would have thought it must be inspired and revelatory.
Is this interpretation correct then?

How do we know if our interpretation is correct or not?

1. Intended Meaning of Author
The Parable of the Good Samaritan was first told by Jesus (1st level author) and then written by Luke (2nd level author) with his intended meaning and purpose for including this Parable in his gospel.

Were Jesus and Luke talking about Paul and the church in this Parable?
No!!!

At the original 1st level,

a) Jesus was answering the question "Who is my neighbour?"
If we love our neighbour, we will be like the Samaritan who help someone in need.

b) The Jewish people and religious leaders despised Samaritans for their mixed breed.
But the Samaritan, an outcast, was the only one who helped the victim.
The Jewish religious leaders too opposed Jesus and treated him as an outcast. But Jesus was the one who truly went to seek and save those who are hurt and injured and bound up their wounds - just like the Samaritan.

At the 2nd level, that of Luke,

a) the overarching theme of Luke is Jesus coming to seek and save the lost including the outcast, the marginalized, the women and the Gentiles.
The theme of Luke is Salvation in Christ to all.
e.g. Luke 19:10 "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”

b) the true fulfillment of the command to love our neighbour is found in the Samaritan.
And Jesus is like the Samaritan - despised by the Jewish religious leaders.

These then are the intended purposes and meaning behind this parable.

2. Allegory vs Allegorical Interpretation

An allegory is an extended metaphor with several points of comparison
e.g. Aesops' fables are stories with several points of comparison to teach us moral lessons.

We may write a story like the Aesop's fables.
But writing an allegory (the Genre of Allegory) is different from interpreting a text allegorically when our interpretation goes beyond what the author intended to mean.

The 5th Century scholar had gone beyond what the author intended to mean - Eisegesis - interpreting the text not based on the author's intended meaning (Exegesis) but the interpreter's own meaning (Eisegesis).