In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus tells the story of a man beaten, stripped, and left for dead by the side of the road. A well-manicured priest fresh off of Temple duty comes along, but he is too concerned about his own ritual purity to be bothered. He’s filled his ministry quota for the day. Along comes a Levite, another vocational minister, and he too turns up his nose and passes by. Finally, a mixed-race Samaritan enters the scene and takes compassion on the man. He pours oil and wine on his wounds, gently bandages them, and transports him to a local care facility, footing the medical bill out of his own pocket. The point is clear: Jesus is our good Samaritan. He meets us where we are–bruised, beaten, and bloodied by the consequences of our sin– and he is moved with compassion. The Greek verb used in v. 33 (splagchnizomai) literally means “he was moved in his most inward parts; in his entrails.” Whenever Jesus encounters wounded sinners, he feels for them in his gut. He is moved to action, meeting us where we are—even if it’s right at the scene of the crime. He is unafraid of being polluted by our mess. He picks us up, bandages our sin-festering wounds, and pays the cost for our healing with his holy and precious blood. Unlike the priest and the Levite who found their identities elsewhere, our identity as believers is firmly grounded in Christ. We have been “joined with the Lord” and “become one spirit with him” (1 Cor 6:17). Our bodies are not our own, but have been bought with a price and are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19- 20). In light of these new identities, Jesus’ exhortation at the end of the parable is crystal clear: “You go, and do likewise” (v. 37b, ESV).

Reflection Questions

1.) Describe the priest and Levite. Where did they find their identities? What about the Samaritan?

2.) Jesus tells this parable in response to a Jewish lawyer seeking to justify himself, expanding the man’s understanding of the word “neighbor” to include people that the Israelites would have viewed as outcasts. What people are considered outcasts today?

3.) How might Jesus be challenging