Submitted by Pastor Brad Dush, Fairfax Methodist Church

Another parable that Jesus told, found in Luke 10:25-37, is the story of the Good Samaritan. If you have not read it recently, I encourage you to pause and read the passage before continuing. (FYI: This parable is also unique to Luke. Luke frequently elevates outsiders in his storytelling, and the choice of a Samaritan as the compassionate neighbor would have shocked and challenged Jesus’ Jewish audience.) In this parable, a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho is attacked by robbers. He is stripped, beaten, and left half dead by the side of the road. (FYI: this road was notoriously steep and dangerous, winding through rocky terrain that made it a frequent place for bandits to ambush travelers.) A priest passes by, and so does a Levite, but both choose to ignore the suffering before them. Then a Samaritan, someone considered an outsider and even an enemy by many Jews of the day, sees the man and has compassion.

The word used for compassion in the Greek points to the bowels, the deepest part of a person. It is not a passing feeling but a gut-level response that moves a person to act. The Samaritan not only feels compassion, but he puts it into practice. He tends the man’s wounds, lifts him onto his animal, takes him to an inn, and pays for his continued care.

Jesus ends the parable with a simple question: “Which of these three do you think became a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” (Luke 10:36 NET). The Greek word for “neighbor” (plēsion) does not primarily describe someone’s permanent address, but rather someone who is nearby in the present moment and surroundings. The answer is clear: “The one who showed mercy to him” (Luke 10:37 NET). And Jesus said, “Go and do the same” (Luke 10:37 NET).

The meaning is timeless. A neighbor is not defined by proximity or similarity, but by compassion expressed in action. To follow Christ is to allow our hearts to be stirred at the deepest level and to respond with mercy.

When we hear this story today, it calls us to look beyond boundaries, prejudices, or excuses, and to see every person in need as our neighbor. It challenges us not only to feel compassion but to act on it. In doing so, we reflect the mercy of the Father, who has shown us unfailing compassion and calls us to “go and do the same.”