Spiritual Meaning of

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He who understands the internal sense of the Word is able to know why it was said by the Lord that the Samaritan bound up the blows, poured in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast. For by the Samaritan in the internal sense is meant one who is in the affection of truth, by binding up the blows is signified the healing of this affection when injured, by pouring in oil and wine is signified the good of love and the good of faith, and by setting him on his own beast is signified uplifting him by virtue of his own intellectual. Thus by these words is described charity toward the neighbor; naturally for man in the world, and spiritually for the angels in heaven; naturally in the sense of the letter, and spiritually in the internal sense. The reason why a Samaritan denotes one who is in the affection of truth, is that Samaritan in the Word signifies this affection. That oil denotes the good of love, (AC 886, 3728, 4582); also that wine denotes the good of faith, (AC 1798, 6377); and that a beast of burden denotes the intellectual, (AC 2761, 2762, 2781, 3217, 5391, 5741, 6125, 6401, 6534, 7024, 8146, 8148). In this manner spake the Lord; but few apprehend this, for they believe that such things were said merely for the sake of giving the parable the connection of a narrative; but in this case they would not be words from the Divine. All words from the Divine have within them such things as belong to the Lord, heaven, and the church, and this is the case in every jot (AC 9049).

from AC 9057

Concerning the oil and wine in the Lord's parable about the Samaritan, in Luke:--

A certain Samaritan as he journeyed, and seeing him who had been wounded by thieves, was moved with compassion, wherefore coming to him he bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine (Luke 10:33, 34);

here pouring in oil and wine signifies that he performed the works of love and of charity. Oil denotes the good of love, (AC 886, 3728). The like was meant by the ancients pouring oil and wine upon a pillar when they sanctified it (Gen. 35:14); (AC 4581, 4582).

That wine signifies the good of mutual love and of faith, is plain also in John:--

I heard a voice out of the midst of the four animals saying, Hurt not the oil and the wine (Rev. 6:6);

where oil is the good of celestial love; and wine, the good of spiritual love.

from AC 6377

That the neighbor is according to the quality of the good, is plain from the Lord's parable of the man who fell among thieves, whom, while half dead, the priest passed by, and also the Levite; but the Samaritan, when he had bound up his wounds and poured in oil and wine, set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn and took care of him; and he, because he exercised the good of charity, is called the neighbor (Luke 10:29-37). Hence it may be known that they are the neighbor who are in good; whereas they who are in evil are indeed the neighbor, but in quite a different respect; and for this reason they are to be benefited in a different way.

from AC 6708

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