What is the parable of the Good Samaritan about?
In the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10), Jesus answered the question "Who is my neighbor?" by telling of a hated foreigner who showed mercy to a wounded stranger — redefining neighbor as anyone we can help.
A lawyer asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus replied with a story: a man beaten and left for dead, ignored by a priest and a Levite, then rescued by a Samaritan — the cultural outsider.
The Samaritan bandaged the wounds, paid for the man’s lodging, and promised to return. His mercy redefined "neighbor" — not someone like you, but someone in need.
Jesus closed, "Go and do likewise." It is one of the Bible’s most uncomfortable stories, naming hated outsiders as moral examples and turning the question from "who counts?" to "be a neighbor."
Original BibleDawn answer · reviewed 2026-06. Drafted with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.