But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. —Luke 10:33
The parable of the Good Samaritan is a familiar Sunday school story. Most Christians who’ve grown up in church have heard it several times and try to take Jesus’ lesson about loving one’s neighbor to heart, no matter who that neighbor is. It’s common to skim over the identity of the one who showed neighborly mercy in the first place. Jesus’ main audience for this parable was Jewish. Most Jews in His time disliked or outright hated Samaritans. They were considered ethnically inferior or “half-breeds” because they had intermarried with Israelites against God’s command. Therefore, they were not allowed to enter the temple or worship as the Jews did. This makes the identity of the one who showed mercy on the robbed man all the more significant. Look again at the scripture before today’s verse. Jesus points out a priest and a Levite saw the injured man and walked away, ignoring him. Jesus doesn’t explain why. Perhaps these men were hard-hearted or simply didn’t want to get involved. Perhaps they were in a hurry or thought helping the man was not part of God’s agenda. The key is that these were two of Israel’s religious leaders. They, not the Samaritan, would be the ones expected to stop and show mercy. Christians can learn much from today’s verse. Namely, do not be quick to judge unbelievers as unable to show mercy and other virtues. Sometimes, nonbelievers think to do things Christians don’t. Today, pray about the nonbelievers you regularly encounter. Ask God to show you how you can cooperate with them to serve others and show God’s love.
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