Bible Studies

The Good Samaritan and Adam

by Cecil Maner
02/12/26
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Could the “certain man” referenced in Luke 10:25–37 be Adam? When Jesus uses examples, they represent historical truth rather than merely fictional stories for teaching. The phrase “certain man” indicates that Jesus had a specific person in mind when relating the story.

Consider the parable in Luke 10:25–37, where Jesus describes a “certain man” traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. This man, representing Adam, falls among thieves, symbolizing his fall from grace. Adam was not deceived; rather, he committed treason against God. Jerusalem, often regarded as the center or location associated with Eden, contrasts with Jericho, which here symbolizes Satan’s domain. The man is stripped of his raiment (glory) and position, and left half dead, symbolizing spiritual death after coming to know both good and evil (“in dying you will die”). Neither the priest nor the Levite—representing the law and the priesthood—could save him, but a Samaritan, representing Jesus, shows compassion, anointing him with oil and wine, which symbolize the Holy Ghost and Christ’s blood. This Samaritan entrusts the man to an innkeeper, perhaps symbolizing the Holy Ghost as Comforter, until his return, as one day with the Lord is like a thousand years (2 Peter 3:8).