The Parables of Jesus: The Good Samaritan, now streaming on the Angel Studios app, dramatizes one of Christ’s moral lessons, told, as He often did, in the form of a story.
These stories are called parables.
What is a parable?
From Catholic Answers:
A parable is a verbal expression, usually a story, whether spoken or written, that uses figures and images to communicate profound truths. Precisely because the truths that are communicated are profound, attempts to express them in plain language to ordinary people can be difficult.
In some way, a parable proportions these profound truths to ordinary people, but paradoxically leaves many things hidden at the same time: a parable simultaneously reveals and hides truth.
Jesus made wonderful use of them, as did many before Him, to emphasize His teachings in a way that forced listeners (and later, readers) to ponder and challenge their own thoughts.
But, parables, by their nature, exist to make a point. And all stories that exist to make a point are inevitably incomplete narratives.
The characters and the events are tailored to emphasize a tenet of morality, a warning against unwanted behavior, an example of correct behavior, etc.
While they incorporate elements of real life, they’re not meant to be realistic stories about the complexity of individual people.
The Good Samaritan is no different.
By way of reminder, here’s a bit about the parable, written by Madeleine Boucher, from PBS.org:
Perhaps the most beautiful and best known of the exemplary stories is the Good Samaritan. Jesus tells this story, according to Luke, in response to the lawyer’s question, “Who is my neighbor?’:
A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion, and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’
(Lk 10:30-35)
The lawyer grants, when Jesus questions him, that of the three passers-by the Samaritan alone “proved neighbor to the man.” Jesus concludes: “Go and do likewise” (vv. 36-37).
We know the ethnicities of the people involved (although it’s not stated, it’s generally assumed the injured man is Jewish). From that information, we can infer the way they’re expected to act.
But, as the story illustrates, two men don’t do what they should, while the third does the right thing, in defiance of assumptions.
It shows that true compassion should cross boundaries, and that beliefs about the character of people of different backgrounds could be wrong.
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How does this film treat the story?
The Good Samaritan expands the brief original narrative out to 44 minutes of drama, adding backstory and personal context for the Samaritan, the robbers’ victim, and even the robbers themselves (explaining, for example, why they robbed the man but didn’t kill him).
All of this is, of course, extra-Biblical, including that both Joshua the Samaritan (Dave Martinez), a merchant, and Mika’el the Jew (Morgan Gunter), are heading out around the festival of Purim.
But, it’s nearly impossible to dramatize any Bible story and make it interesting without going beyond the text. It’s a notion The Chosen has embraced in its retelling of the Gospels, with varying results.
It might be helpful for those who may not understand why it was so extraordinary for a Samaritan to help an injured Jewish man.
Also, the script makes the Samaritan’s motive clear, as he says, “Are we all not children of Abraham? … Should we not care for each other?” He proceeds to state, “No one stopped to rescue you, and you would have died if I had not helped you.”
While the original story leaves it up to the audience to ponder why the Samaritan did as he did, this version leaves no doubt.
But these are the challenges and hazards of dramatization, inevitably adding a new layer of interpretation not present in the original tale.
As drama, The Good Samaritan is adequately acted and produced, if not exactly riveting (I did enjoy the donkey).
The fleshing out of the characters and the overall gentle tone sands the rough edges off Jesus’ story, which was intended to prick the conscience (and the ethnic pride) of the lawyer who questioned Him.
Who’s behind The Parables of Jesus?
The series is a production of Emmaus Road Media, whose principals — including writer/director James Dalrymple — are members of the LDS Church.
It appears to have been filmed in part at the same Jerusalem set in Goshen, Utah, about 56 miles south of Salt Lake City, used by The Chosen. The LDS Church built the set for its own productions,
From the Emmaus Media website:
In 2026, we launched the Parables Project, a powerful dramatization of the teachings of Jesus Christ. Our pilot episode, “The Good Samaritan,” ranked in the top 12% of submissions to Angel Studios in December 2024, earning a score of 86%.
It has won multiple awards in several film festivals including the Zions Independent Film Festival, Nieves Film Festival, and the International Christian Film Festival. Watch it now on the Angel Studios Platform
We are currently in production on the Parable of the Ten Virgins.
And, of course, Angel Studios was founded by the Harmon brothers, who are members of the LDS Church. But, the productions it distributes have covered a wide variety of faith — and increasingly, secular — subject matter.
By the way, Angel’s latest release, director Andy Serkin’s animated version of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, coming out May 1, looks to be a must-miss, according to Christian reviewer Josh M. Shepherd.
Should Catholics Watch The Good Samaritan?
If you’re interested in seeing a parable expanded and dramatized, it’s fine. There are significant theological differences between Catholicism and the LDS Church, but they shouldn’t come into play in these particular stories.
While this episode of The Parables of Jesus goes beyond the brief tale Jesus told, it’s acceptable as entertainment.
The trailer isn’t on YouTube, but you can click here to watch.
Image: Angel Studios
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