The Samaritan Story: Luke 10:30

"And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead" (Luke 10:30).

On one symbolic level, the "certain man" was Adam. His name means man or mankind. Since it's Adam, who is a type for all mankind, it's all of us on this journey from Jerusalem to Jericho, a descent of 3,300 feet.

And in case we didn't see that this was about the Fall, the text reminds us that he "fell" among thieves. The thieves are Satan and his followers. Satan doesn't want our gold, precious goods, or money. He wants to take something else.

The phrase "stripped him of his raiment" is summarized in one Greek word "ekduo," which means to sink out of a garment or be divested of sacred clothing. It's about covenant making. It's the opposite of the Greek word "enduo" where we get the English word endowment. Enduo means to sink into a garment or be invested in sacred clothing. That's what Satan and his followers want to strip you of.

After the Fall and Satan departs, you and I are left in a fallen world and comparatively with our first estate, we are left wounded and "half dead." Yes, we are still physically alive, at least for our mortal existence, but we are spiritually dead by being shut out of the presence of God (see Moses 5:4).

PERSONAL APPLICATION: Since I am subject to the Fall I cannot merit anything of myself (see Alma 22:14).