The Good Samaritan as Jesus’ Critique of Animal Sacrifice. By Creation Care Church. Ed. Dr. Chapman Chen

In a 2025 Creation Care Church YouTube video, Craig Douglas Wescoe explores the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37) through the lens of animal ethics and a pointed critique of sacrificial religion. When a lawyer asks Jesus, “Who is my neighbour?”, Jesus tells the story of a man beaten and left for dead. A priest and a Levite—both religious leaders—see the man but pass by without helping. A Samaritan, however, stops to help, showing compassion. Jesus concludes, “Go and do likewise.”

Wescoe argues that Jesus carefully chose these three characters to convey more than just a moral lesson. The priest, a descendant of Aaron, was directly involved in animal sacrifice rituals—killing animals, sprinkling blood, and burning their flesh. The Levite, though not a priest, worked in the temple assisting in these sacrifices. The transcript draws from Exodus 27–32 to explain their origins: while Aaron infamously led the people in worshipping the golden calf, the Levites were consecrated to temple service after violently purging the community, killing 3,000 idolaters. Though they opposed idolatry, their rise to religious authority came through human bloodshed—and later, through institutionalised animal sacrifice.

Thus, when Jesus casts the priest and Levite as the ones who fail to show mercy, he is symbolically rejecting a religious system rooted in violence. The Samaritan, long seen as an outsider, becomes the one who fulfills God’s will through compassion. This ties into the prophetic message from Hosea 6:6, which Jesus quotes elsewhere: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”

Wescoe further examines Jesus’ actions in the temple (Matthew 21:12–13), where he drives out merchants and animal sellers, declaring it has become a “den of violent ones” rather than a house of prayer. This is not just moral outrage—it’s a direct challenge to the sacrificial economy of the temple. In John 10, Jesus contrasts himself with “the thief who comes to kill,” declaring, “I am the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep”—not one who takes life.

Crucially, Wescoe highlights that Jesus established a new priesthood, not through the line of Aaron or the Levites, but “after the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 7). This eternal priesthood is grounded in peace, not animal blood. Jesus, through his own self-offering, replaced the old covenant with a new one based on compassion and life, not death.

The Good Samaritan story, then, is not only about helping others—it’s a critique of a religious system that substitutes ritual for mercy. Jesus calls his followers to embrace universal compassion, extending even to animals. Just as the Samaritan defied expectations by caring for the wounded man, Christians are called to reject violence—whether against humans or animals—and follow the way of the Good Shepherd, who desires mercy above all. #VeganChrist  #VeganGod #VeganTheology #VeganChurch

Full Text: https://www.vegantheology.net/post/the-good-samaritan-as-jesus-critique-of-animal-sacrifice-by-creation-care-church-ed-dr-chapman

Source

Creation Care Church (2025). “FNL # 158 - The Good Samaritan.” Creation Care Church, YouTube Channel, Mar. 14. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLaiEyzvN_4