Far from telling a parable to help us become like the Good Samaritan, Jesus tells this story to show us how far from being like The Good Samaritan we actually are! His parable destroys the idea that any of us can ever love God and love our neighbor perfectly enough to inherit eternal life. Eternal life is not a matter of “What must I do for God?” but rather “What has God has done for me?” Eternal life should be received as a gift because of what Jesus has done. Because we have this eternal life, we can practice God’s compassion like the Good Samaritan as the holy children God.