There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test him and said, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” 27 He said in reply, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 He replied to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.”
29 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.”
A scholar of the Law—an expert in the Law of Moses—stands to test Jesus about “inheriting eternal life.” The word “inherit” comes from covenant life in Israel; it points to the life God promises His people. Jesus does not offer a new system. He sends the scholar back to Scripture: “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” The answer joins two texts every faithful Jew knew by heart—Deut. 6:5 and Lev. 19:18—love of God with all that we are, and love of neighbor as oneself. Jesus agrees and adds, “Do this and you will live,” echoing Lev. 18:5. The path to life is not clever argument but faithful love. This does not set aside grace. It shows that God’s revealed will, lived as love, is truly life-giving.
Luke then tells us the scholar wants to ‘justify himself.’ He seeks to narrow the command by asking, ‘And who is my neighbor?’ In some circles, ‘neighbor’ meant one’s own group first—fellow Israelites, since the command stands beside phrases like ‘your brother’ and “the sons of your people” in Leviticus 19:17-18, and many even excluded Samaritans because of long-standing religious disputes. Jesus does not draw a new boundary; He tells a story that turns the question around. A man is robbed on the Jerusalem-to-Jericho road—a steep, rocky descent known for danger. He is stripped and left “half-dead.” The unidentified victim prevents us from sorting people before we help them. We cannot guess status, party, or people. The story removes the usual reasons to hesitate.
A priest comes by, then a Levite. Both “see” and pass on the opposite side. Luke gives no excuse. Ritual impurity from contact with a corpse (Num. 19:11-13) or fear of an ambush might explain their caution, but Jesus highlights something simpler: they do not stop. Their movement away is deliberate. Religious role without mercy fails the intent of the Law.
A Samaritan appears—an outsider to many Jews because of long disputes over worship and Scripture. He is ‘moved with compassion’—a deep, gut-level mercy. He draws near, treats the wounds with wine and oil (practical first aid in the first century: wine cleanses; oil soothes), bandages them, lifts the man onto his animal, and brings him to an inn. There, he continues personal care through the night. In the morning, he pays two silver coins—about two days’ wages—enough for lodging and food, and he pledges to cover any remainder when he returns. Mercy here has weight: time, risk, skill, and cost.
At the end, Jesus asks not “Who belongs in the neighbor category?” but “Which became a neighbor to the wounded man?” The scholar answers honestly: “The one who treated him with mercy.” He cannot avoid the truth even if he avoids the name “Samaritan.” Jesus then gives the simple command that exposes all excuses: “Go and do likewise.” In other words, neighbor is not first a line around certain people; it is the way we choose to live toward any person in need.
This scene holds together Scripture, worship, and daily life. It begins with the Law and ends with mercy as the Law’s living center. The unidentified victim prevents us from sorting people before we help them. The Samaritan shows what love of God looks like at its fundamental level: we see, we stop, we bind, we carry, we provide, and we remain responsible until the person is safe. That is the shape of the “life” Jesus names at the start.
Lord Jesus, open our eyes to the wounded you place before us. Give us steady compassion, willing hands, and the courage to bear real costs for another’s good. Make our love practical, patient, and joyful. Amen.
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Sources and References:
- The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (2011).
- The Navarre Bible: Luke, Faculty of the University of Navarre (2008), on Lk 10:25-37.
- The Paulist Biblical Commentary, ed. Chiu et al. (2018), Luke.
- A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture, ed. Orchard et al. (1953), Luke 10.
- The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, ed. Brown et al. (1990), Luke.
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