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 approaches Jesus with a question about eternal life: “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus directs him back to Scripture. The scholar responds by joining two commandments: “You shall love the Lord, your God” (Deuteronomy 6:5) and “your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18). The words “as yourself” do not mean that we must first feel affection for ourselves. They mean that we are to seek the good of our neighbor with the same seriousness and practical concern with which a person ordinarily seeks his own good, safety, and well-being. Jesus affirms his answer and adds, “do this and you will live” (v. 28). Knowing God’s commands must lead to living them.
The scholar then asks, “And who is my neighbor?” (v. 29). His question concerns the extent of the command: whom must he regard as the neighbor he is called to love? The Law itself had already extended this obligation beyond close family and companions. Leviticus commands Israel to love the resident alien as oneself (Leviticus 19:33–34). Jesus now takes the question further by telling the parable.
The man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho is attacked, stripped, beaten, and left half-dead. The road descended through rough and isolated country and was known as a place where bandits and thieves preyed upon travelers. Because the victim has been stripped and cannot speak for himself, the story gives no social standing, occupation, or other identifying characteristic by which the travelers might decide whether he belongs to their own group. Before them is simply a human being whose life is in danger.
A priest sees the wounded man and passes by. A Levite comes to the same place and does the same. Since the road connected Jerusalem with Jericho, the presence of a priest and a Levite would not have been unusual; both were connected with service at the Temple in Jerusalem. Jesus does not tell us why they pass by. Because the man appeared close to death, concern about ritual impurity may have influenced them. Whatever their reasoning, they see a person in grave need and leave him unaided. Jesus’ parable shows that religious observance is incomplete if it does not lead to mercy toward a person in need.
Then Jesus introduces a person those listening would not have expected: a Samaritan. Jerusalem and Jericho were in Judea, south of Samaria, so the Samaritan was traveling outside his own territory. Relations between Jews and Samaritans had long been marked by religious and social hostility. Yet it is the Samaritan who sees the wounded man and is “moved with compassion” (v. 33). Luke uses this same language of compassion when Jesus encounters the widow of Nain and her dead son (Luke 7:13), and again for the father who welcomes his lost son home (Luke 15:20). The Samaritan’s compassion therefore reflects the mercy that Jesus shows to others.
His compassion immediately becomes action. He approaches the wounded man, treats and bandages his injuries, places him on his own animal, takes him to an inn, cares for him, pays for his continued care, and promises to cover any additional expense. His mercy costs him time, effort, possessions, and money. Love of neighbor is therefore more than recognizing another person’s need. It responds to that need fully with concrete mercy.
Jesus then changes the direction of the scholar’s original question. The scholar had asked, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus asks, “Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” (v. 36). The question is no longer primarily about identifying which people qualify to receive our love. Through the Samaritan’s actions, Jesus shows what God’s mercy looks like and asks what it means for us to become neighbors to those in need.
The scholar answers, “The one who treated him with mercy.” Jesus replies, “Go and do likewise” (v. 37). His words bring us back to the beginning of the conversation. The scholar knew the commandments. Jesus calls him to live them. Love of God and love of neighbor belong together, and love of neighbor becomes visible when compassion is expressed through acts of mercy.
Jesus therefore does more than tell us whom to love. He teaches us what love looks like. The neighbor is the person before us who needs the mercy we are able to give, even when social divisions, past hostility, or personal inconvenience might make helping difficult. The command of Christ is simple and demanding: see the person in need, allow compassion to move the heart, and then “go and do likewise.”
Lord Jesus, give us hearts that recognize the needs of others and the courage to respond with mercy. Teach us to love You by becoming neighbors to those whom You place before us. Amen.
Sources and References
- The New American Bible, Revised Edition. Washington, DC: Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 2011. Notes on Luke 10:25–37.
- Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010. 129.
- Casciaro, Jose Maria, gen. ed. The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008. 294–295.
- Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. 702, para. 126.
- Gadenz, Pablo T. The Gospel of Luke. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2018. 209–214.
- Aguilar Chiu, Jose Enrique, et al., eds. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018. 1066–1067.
- Collins, John J., Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid, OP, and Donald Senior, CP, eds. The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. Third Fully Revised Edition. London: T&T Clark, 2022. 1326.
Comments