The Good Samaritan: Who Is My Neighbor?

Introduction

The parable of the Good Samaritan is told in response to a lawyer's question: Who is my neighbor? The question was designed to limit obligation — to define the boundary of love. Jesus's answer explodes the boundary entirely.

The Legal Question (vv. 25–29)

A lawyer asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus turns it back: what does the law say? The lawyer answers correctly: love God and love your neighbor. But then he seeks to justify himself: Who is my neighbor? The question behind the question is: how little do I have to love?

The Man in the Ditch (vv. 30–32)

A man is beaten and left half-dead on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. A priest passes by. A Levite passes by. Both had religious reasons to avoid the uncleanness of a potentially dead body. They chose the technically defensible path.

The Samaritan (vv. 33–35)

The hero of the story is the one the audience least expected: a Samaritan — despised, religiously suspect, ethnically different. He saw the man, had compassion, crossed the road, cleaned and bandaged the wounds, transported him to safety, and paid for his ongoing care. Compassion that costs something.

The Real Question (v. 36)

Jesus reframes the question: not 'who is my neighbor?' but 'who acted as neighbor?' The question of who deserves my love is replaced by the question of how I can extend it. Go and do likewise.