They were told by Jesus with the purpose of encouraging people to change the way they thought and acted and were an effective way for Jesus to teach because they challenged the way that people then and now think by comparing life in our world to life in the Kingdom of God. They were and still are a good and reliable way of teaching because people are able to relate to them and therefore understand them better, no matter how much times have changed since Jesus was on earth.
Times have changed a lot since Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan. As our way of living has changed, the parables meaning may not be understood in the same way as they once were, although they still have implications for our lives today. The message that we receive through the parable of the Good Samaritan today faces common humanitarian issues in our