📖 Biblical Definition
Christ's parable in Luke 10:25-37, given in answer to a lawyer's question "who is my neighbour?" A man going down from Jerusalem to Jericho is robbed and left half-dead. A priest passes by; a Levite passes by; a Samaritan (a despised foreigner) stops, treats his wounds, takes him to an inn, pays for ongoing care. Christ asks: "Which of these three was neighbour?" Answer: "He that shewed mercy." The parable redefines neighbor from "those near me" to "those I show mercy to."
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
Luke 10's parable redefining neighbor from those-near-me to those-I-show-mercy-to.
expand to see more
Christ's parable in Luke 10:25-37, given in response to a lawyer's question "who is my neighbour?" The lawyer was hoping to limit love-of-neighbor to a manageable group. Christ's parable inverts the question: a man going down from Jerusalem to Jericho is robbed and left half-dead. A priest passes by (religious-establishment failure). A Levite passes by (priestly-tribe failure). A Samaritan — a despised half-breed foreigner from the despised region of Samaria — stops, binds the wounds with oil and wine, sets the man on his own beast, takes him to an inn, pays the innkeeper from his own purse, and promises ongoing payment. Christ then asks: "Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?" Answer: "He that shewed mercy on him." Christ's command: "Go, and do thou likewise." The parable redefines neighbor not as "those near me" but as "those I show mercy to."
📖 Key Scripture
Luke 10:36-37 — "Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise."
Luke 10:30-32 — "And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite."
Leviticus 19:18 — "Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Reduced to general "be nice" lesson; the actual force is the redefinition of neighbor and the racial-religious shock of the despised Samaritan as moral hero.
expand to see more
Children's-Bible Good-Samaritan is just "be nice to people in trouble." Christ's parable was sharper: the priest and Levite (religious insiders) failed; the despised Samaritan (religious-racial outsider) became the moral exemplar. The lawyer's question ("who is my neighbour?") was a limiting question; Christ's answer was an expanding one. "Go and do thou likewise" means: be the Samaritan to those who would not normally count as your neighbor.
Recover the shock: the parable's heroes and villains would have shocked Jewish hearers. Recover the redefinition: neighbor is not who is near; neighbor is who I show mercy to.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Greek ho Samaritēs + ho plēsion.
expand to see more
['Greek', 'G4541', 'Samaritēs', 'Samaritan']
['Greek', 'G4139', 'plēsion', 'neighbor']
Usage
"Neighbor is who I show mercy to."
"Despised Samaritan is moral hero."
"Go and do thou likewise."