The Good Samaritan

In Luke 10, when a lawyer asks Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” in a discussion about the law to love your neighbor as yourself, Jesus tells him this story: A Jewish man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him half to death, and went away, leaving him for dead. A priest and a Levite happened to pass by but did not help him. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came to where the man was. When he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper to cover the expenses of caring for the injured man.

The background of this story is related to the Jewish legal codes on ritual purity. The man in the story was so badly injured he was “half dead.” If the priest and Levite touched him, they could not be certain whether he was dead or still alive. If he was already dead, they would become ritually unclean (Leviticus 21:1). Caught in this dilemma, ritual purity won out. The priest and Levite intentionally avoided any potential contact, “passing by on the other side” and abandoning the man when he was in dire need of help.

In the eyes of the Jews, the Samaritans were considered impure in both bloodline and faith. They would never have been included in the category of “neighbor” and were instead considered enemies (Luke 9:52-54). In the Jewish mindset, they were the least likely people to help a Jew. Yet, this passing Samaritan did everything he could to help the injured Jew. He bandaged his wounds with oil and wine, put him on his own animal, and took him to an inn to care for him. He even left the innkeeper “two denarii” to cover the cost of continuing the care. Two denarii was a common worker’s wage for two days (Matthew 20:2), enough to buy food for 24 days. This Samaritan did far more than what was expected; he did everything he possibly could.

The lawyer asked, “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29). But Jesus wanted him to consider, “How can I be a neighbor to others?” The priest and the Levite scrupulously observed the requirements of ritual purity in the law but violated the command to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18). In contrast, the Samaritan, whom they considered a lawbreaker, acted in a way that was more in line with God’s heart. The essence of the law is love and mercy, which come from God. Only through a life in Christ can a person love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, and also love their neighbor as themselves.

(Edited and compiled based on the Chinese Union Version Bible and Comprehensive Biblical Interpretation)