What is the parable of the Good Samaritan?
In Luke 10 Jesus answers the question 'Who is my neighbor?' with the story of a Samaritan who stops to help a beaten stranger. The point: a true neighbor is anyone who shows mercy, regardless of background.
A lawyer asked Jesus what to do to inherit eternal life. After Jesus drew out 'love God and love your neighbor,' the man pressed further: 'And who is my neighbor?' (Luke 10:29) — hoping for a smaller, more manageable circle.
Jesus told a story. A man was robbed and left for dead on the road to Jericho. A priest passed him; so did a Levite. Then a Samaritan — an outsider despised by Jews — stopped, bandaged him, took him to an inn, and paid for his care. 'Which of these three,' Jesus asked, 'was a neighbor?' The lawyer had to answer: 'the one who showed him mercy' (Luke 10:37).
The parable does two things at once. It widens the circle of neighbor to include every human in need, even across ethnic and religious divides. And it points to Jesus himself, the despised outsider who paid the full price to rescue strangers who could not save themselves.
Original BibleDawn answer · reviewed 2026-06. Drafted with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.