But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. 32 Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. 33 But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. 34 He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn and cared for him. 35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, ‘Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.’ 36 Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” 37 He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
The legal expert (Scribe) wanted Jesus to define who his neighbor was (v. 29). The early Christian community would have understood the question to be, who belongs to God’s chosen people and is therefore worthy of neighborly love and eternal life. The Law stated, “Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your own people. You shall love your neighbor as yourself (Lv. 19:18).” The Law further stated, “You shall treat the alien who resides with you no differently than the natives born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself; for you too were once aliens in the land of Egypt (Lv. 19:34).” Jesus did not give the Scribe a definition of neighbor but gave an example of a good neighbor by using a parable.
The 18 miles of road from Jerusalem to Jerico were uninhabited in many sections and travelers were frequently robbed. It was the scariest Judean road in Palestine at the time. It is implied that the man who was accosted by robbers was a Jew on his way to Jerusalem. He was beaten, stripped of his clothing, and left half dead so he could not identify himself. The priest and the Levite should have been models of a neighbor. Based on the Mosaic Law the priest and Levite would become ritually defiled if they touched the apparently dead man unless it was a close relative (Lev. 21:1).
The Samaritan, who was despised by the Jews, was not in his own territory and was the one who had the best reason to pass by without stopping. Out of compassion, he went to great lengths to help the unidentified victim. The innkeeper trusted the Samaritan, a foreigner, to stop by at a later date to pay him any additional amounts owed. When the Scribe answered Jesus’ question, “Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim (v. 36)?” he could not say the word Samaritan but recognized that a neighbor is one who shows mercy as God shows mercy (v. 37). Samaritans observed the Pentateuch and obeyed the teachings of Moses. Jesus used the Samaritan to teach about the true meaning of neighborly love. Charity and mercy extend to everyone, especially those in need, and even to your enemy (Mt. 5:44).
Almighty God, in your tender mercy you sent the light of the world to bring us out of darkness and the shadow of death into the light of life. Grant us the grace to trust in your promises and to show mercy and compassion to others. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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