Luke 10:25-37
Chapter 10
Then a teacher of the law came and began testing Jesus. He asked:
“Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus responded:
“What is written in the law? How do you interpret it?”
The man answered:
“It is written: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind. And you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Jesus said:
“That’s a good answer! Do this, and you will live.”
The man wanted to justify himself, so he asked:
“And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus then said:
“There was a man going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half-dead.
A priest was walking along that road and saw the man, but passed by on the other side.
So, likewise, a Levite saw the man and also passed by on the other side.
However, a Samaritan was traveling that way, and when he saw the man, he was moved with compassion.
He approached him, cleaned his wounds with oil and wine, and bandaged them. Then he placed him on his own animal and took him to a roadside inn, where he took care of him.
The next day, he had to set off; but he gave two silver coins to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him and whatever you spend on him, I will repay when I return.’”
Jesus then asked:
“Which of these three, do you think, made himself a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
The teacher of the law answered:
“The one who had mercy on him.”
And Jesus said:
“Then go and do the same.”
Commentaries
Parable of the Good Samaritan.
“Who is my neighbor?” In traditional Judaism, a neighbor was a fellow Israelite—someone from the same people—while others were not included. However, even within Judaism, that neighbor had to meet a basic requirement: he had to be legally clean, as that would prevent infection or contamination. The Samaritan who approaches the wounded man—the typical example of a hated, rejected person who makes others uncomfortable just by being there—serves as a model for what it means to be a neighbor in Jesus’ teaching. The Samaritan broke the Law and could have been accused by the pious expert in the Law. Still, his actions go far beyond the Law itself, for he acted with love, compassion, generosity, selflessness, and, most importantly, mercy.