The Good Samaritan
The Good Samaritan is one of Jesus’ most famous parables. It is about a traveler who is left for dead alongside a road. A priest and Levite both pass by, but avoid the injured man. Finally, a Samaritan sees the man and stops. Although Jews and Samaritans despised each other, the Samaritan helps the man. At the end of the parable, Jesus tells his listeners to “go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37).
Over the years, many have viewed this parable as a simple moral story that teaches us to help others despite our differences. In fact, the phrase “Good Samaritan” is commonly used today to describe someone who helps a stranger in need.
There is no doubt that it is a good and right thing to help those in need, but what if Jesus wasn’t only encouraging us to be helpful when we cross paths with someone in trouble? What if the parable is not just a moral story inspiring us to be kind and generous to our neighbors? What if the story has less to do with us and our actions, and much more to do with God and what He has already done for us?
After all, when we view ourselves through the lens of the injured man on the side of the road; the one who lies helpless and wounded; the one who needs to be rescued; we are suddenly reminded of our desperate need of a savior.
The good news found in this familiar parable is that a Good Samaritan named Jesus—despised and rejected—tenderly lifts us into His arms and takes us to the place of healing. Or, as St. Paul describes it, “while we were still God's enemies, we were reconciled to God” (Romans 5:10). In other words, God saw us lying on the road half-dead and had compassion and, in the person of Jesus, came to rescue us.
So, the next time we read this parable or hear the phrase “Good Samaritan,” in addition to asking who is our neighbor, perhaps we should also ask who has been a neighbor to us? The answer is obvious, isn’t it? Jesus has been neighbor to us all.
Today, may we receive His love and mercy so that we may be transformed into generous and compassionate people. And through His grace, may we have the strength and courage to “go and do likewise.”
