Luke 10:27
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart... and thy neighbour as thyself.
Jesus' Teachings
The Good Samaritan
Jesus' answer to 'who is my neighbor?' — and why the hero of the story was the last person anyone expected
Introduction
Who actually counts as your neighbor? A religious lawyer asks Jesus this question hoping to justify a narrower answer than the one he's about to get — and instead of a definition, Jesus tells him a story.
A man is beaten and left for dead on a dangerous road. A priest passes him by. A Levite passes him by. Then a Samaritan — a man from a people group Jews of the time despised — stops, treats his wounds, and pays for his continued care out of his own pocket.
This story arrives immediately after Jesus names love of God and neighbor as the two greatest commandments (Luke 10:27). The lawyer wanted the second command's boundaries narrowed. Jesus answers by making the boundary disappear entirely.
Scripture
Luke 10:33
But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him.
Luke 10:36–37
Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?... Go, and do thou likewise.
Translation note: Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV). The King James Version is in the public domain.
Key insights
- The lawyer wanted 'neighbor' narrow — Jesus erased the line
- Religious status didn't stop two men from walking by
- The hero came from a group the audience despised, on purpose
- Jesus reframes 'who qualifies' into 'who actually acts'
Related resources
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