In Jesus' parable, who stopped to help the man beaten by robbers on the road to Jericho?

The Answer

A priest and a Levite — both religious figures — saw the wounded man and passed by on the other side. It was a Samaritan, a member of a people despised by many Jews of that day, who took pity on him, bandaged his wounds, and paid for his care at an inn. Jesus told this parable in answer to the question 'Who is my neighbor?' and turned it around: 'Go and do likewise.'

Jesus' original audience would have expected the Samaritan to be the villain of the story. Instead, He made him the hero. It was a deliberate, uncomfortable choice — because mercy that only flows toward people like us is not really mercy at all.

The priest and the Levite likely had good reasons for passing by. Schedules. Purity concerns. Safety. We have our own versions: too busy, too awkward, not my responsibility. Compassion always costs something — time, money, convenience.

Today, notice who is lying on the side of your road. The neighbor Jesus calls you to love is not defined by proximity or similarity, but by need. Go and do likewise.