A Good Neighbor

Luke 10

Jesus told this story to teach what really means to love your neighbor as yourself: "One day, a Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho," began Jesus. "But he was attacked by brutal men who beat him! They stole his clothes and money. And finally they left him all alone beside the road to die."

"After a while, a Jewish priest came along. He saw the poor, beaten man and heard him groaning. But the priest did not want to be bothered. So he turned his head and went to the other side of the road. He continued on his way. Later on, a Levite came along. And he too saw the bleeding man next to the road, but he did exactly the same as the priest. But then a Samaritan came along," continued Jesus.

The people listened closely—knowing that Jews and Samaritans never got along.

"When this Samaritan saw the injured man, he felt sorry for him. He stopped, bent down, and cleaned and bandaged the man's wounds. Then he lifted the man onto his donkey and took him to a nearby inn. There, he cared for the man. The next day, the Samaritan had to be on his way, but he left money with the innkeeper, saying, 'Please care for this man. When I return, I'll pay you whatever it costs.'

"Which of the three travelers was a good neighbor?" asked Jesus.