BIBLICAL CRITIQUE: THE GOOD SAMARITAN 2
Biblical Critique: The Good Samaritan
In the Good Samaritan from Luke 10:25-37, a religious law expert asked Jesus how one
would obtain eternal life. Jesus responded by asking what the law of Moses said. The expert
responded that one must love God completely and also love your neighbor. However, the expert
was unsure as to who would constitute a neighbor. Jesus replied with a story of about a man who
had been attacked and left for dead traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. The beaten man was
then approached by a priest, temple assistant, and a Samaritan. Both the priest and temple
assistant saw the man but then moved to the other side of the road without offering aid.
However, the Samaritan showed sympathy, treated the man’s injuries, and took him to a nearby
inn where he could receive care. This illustrates that the Samaritan was the neighbor because he
showed concern for his fellow man and did not just worry about himself and his own needs (New
Living Translation, 1996).
Read
Fact Verses
1. A religious law expert asked Jesus,
“Teacher, what should I do to inherit
eternal life?”
Luke 10:25 – “One
day an expert in
religious law stood up
to test Jesus by asking
him this question:
“Teacher, what should
I do to inherit eternal
life?”
2. Jesus asked what was in the law of Luke 10:26 – “Jesus
BIBLICAL CRITIQUE: THE GOOD SAMARITAN 3
Moses. replied, “What does the
law of Moses say?
How do you read it?”
3. The law expert responded that we
must love God completely and to love
your neighbor as yourself.
Luke 10:27 – “The
man answered, ‘You
must love the Lord
your God with all your
heart, all your soul, all
your strength, and all
your mind.’ And, ‘Love
your neighbor as
yourself.’”
4. Jesus responded that the man was
correct.
Luke 10:28 – “Right!”
Jesus told him. “Do this
and you will live!”
5. The man questioned who constituted
his neighbor.
Luke 10:29 – The man
wanted to justify his
actions, so he asked
Jesus, “And who is my
neighbor?”
6. Jesus responded with a story of a man
who was attacked while going from
Jerusalem to Jericho.
Luke 10:30 – Jesus
replied with a story: “A
Jewish man was
traveling on a trip from
BIBLICAL CRITIQUE: THE GOOD SAMARITAN 4
Jerusalem to Jericho,
and he was attacked by
bandits. They stripped
him of his clothes, beat
him up, and left him
half dead beside the
road.”
7. A priest came down the road but saw
the man and moved to the other side.
Luke 10:31 – “By
chance a priest came
along. But when he saw
the man lying there, he
crossed to the other
side of the road and
passed him by.”
8. A temple assistant came by but also
moved to the other side of the road.
Luke 10:32 – “A
temple assistant waked
over and looked at him
lying there, but he also
passed by on the other
side.”
9. A Samaritan came along and felt
sympathy for the man.
Luke 10:33 – “Then a
despised Samaritan
came along and when
he saw the man, he felt
BIBLICAL CRITIQUE: THE GOOD SAMARITAN 5
compassion for him.”
10. The Samaritan treated the injured
man’s wounds and took him to an inn.
Luke 10:34 – “Going
over to him, the
Samaritan soothed his
wounds with olive oil
and wine and bandaged
them. Then he put the
man on his own donkey
and took him to an inn,
where he took care of
him.”
11. He gave the innkeeper two coins and
said he would pay him when he
returned if the bill was higher.
Luke 10:35 – “The next
day he handed the
innkeeper two silver
coins, telling him,
“Take care of this man.
If his bill runs higher
than this, I’ll pay you
the next time I’m
here.’”
12. Jesus asked the law expert which of
the three men he thought was the
neighbor.
Luke 10:36 – “Now
which of these three
would you say was a
neighbor to the man
BIBLICAL CRITIQUE: THE GOOD SAMARITAN 6
who was attacked by
bandits?” Jesus asked.
13. The man replied that the Samaritan
was the neighbor, and Jesus advised
him to go and follow the actions of the
Samaritan.
Luke 10:37 – The man
replied, “The one who
showed him mercy.”
Then Jesus said, “Yes,
now go and do the
same.”
Reflect
What do you see in the passage that relates
to God’s character, man’s character, or
Jesus?
Verses
God’s character Showing kindness and compassion towards
others is following the word of God.
Luke 10:37
Man’s character Man’s character is questioning how to
achieve eternal life instead of simply
following God’s word.
The man wanting to justify his actions is
also a good example.
Luke 10:25
Luke 10:29
Jesus We must always follow Christ’s actions
and help those in need; the priest and
temple assistant turned the other way when
they saw an injured man so they were not
true followers of Christ.
Luke 10:31-32
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Respond
In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus told the law expert what would make a decent neighbor. A good
neighbor is one who would take care of a comrade in need. In the story, one can see the
Samaritan illustrate compassion for his fellow man, and in doing so, display respect to the word
of God. The priest and temple assistant may say they follow the Lord’s word, but by passing by
and not helping the man after he was attacked, they were actually showing a sign of disobedience
toward God. Unlike the Samaritan, they put their own needs and desires above the actions of a
good neighbor (New Living Translation, 1996).
One area that can be used in displaying good neighborly behavior is emotional
intelligence. For one to be able fully devote themselves to the Lord, he or she should have a
complete sense of self-awareness. Once someone is at this level, he or she will have the social
skills necessary to show the empathy and compassion toward others that is seen in the role of the
Good Samaritan (Barsky, 2017). Both of these skills were lacking with the priest and temple
assistant, as they saw no value for themselves in assisting the injured man. Whereas, Jesus
implied to the religious law expert that a good neighbor would put his fellow man and acting in
the name of God above all else (New Living Translation, 1996).
These actions of assisting or ignoring someone in need can be seen on a regular basis,
and a great deal is driven by anger. Anger can have a strong influence on how a person responds
to a situation. People can hold in anger and try and avoid conflict or display passive aggressive
tendencies. On the other hand, some individuals have explosive personalities with anger, but
either response is counterproductive (Barsky, 2017). Learning to control one’s emotions can lead
to a closer relationship with God and a clearer path to following God’s word.
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Conclusion
The Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37 provided a good analysis of how to be a good
follower of God’s word. When asked how to achieve eternal life, Jesus told the religious law
expert that one should love God and love your neighbor as yourself. When questioned about who
represents a neighbor, Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan and how a man was attacked
and left for dead. A priest and temple assistant found the man but saw no benefit for themselves
and left him for dead. The Samaritan, however, performed the Godly duty of taking care of his
fellow man without thinking about himself. Thus, in his care of the man, the Samaritan
demonstrated that he was living according to God’s plan and following in Christ’s footsteps.
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References
Barsky, A. (2017). Conflict resolution for the helping professions: Negotiation, mediation,
advocacy, facilitation, and restorative justice. Oxford University Press, Incorporated.
Holy Bible: New Living Translation. (1996). Tyndale House Publishers.
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