LUKE 10:25–37, THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT AND THE GOOD SAMARITAN
LOVE OF GOD AND NEIGHBOR WITHOUT BOUNDARIES
Introduction
In the midst of Jesus’ journey toward Jerusalem, a legal expert stands up with a question that sounds sincere but hides a test: “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus responds not with a new doctrine, but by sending him back to the Law he knows so well, drawing from him the heart of Israel’s faith: love of God and love of neighbor. Yet the scholar’s follow-up question, “And who is my neighbor?” reveals the deeper struggle—how far must this love go, and whom can I exclude? Jesus answers not with an abstract definition, but with the powerful story of the Good Samaritan, turning the question around and showing that the true neighbor is the one who shows mercy, even when it crosses boundaries of religion, ethnicity, and comfort. In this passage, Jesus brings us from theory to practice, from correct answers to a life of concrete, costly love.
Bible Passage (Luke 10:25–37)
There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test him and said, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” He said in reply, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” He replied to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.”
But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn and cared for him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, ‘Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.’ Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Background
This scene unfolds after Jesus has sent out the seventy-two disciples and rejoiced that the Father reveals the mysteries of the kingdom to the childlike. Into this context of mission and revelation comes a scholar of the law, representing the religious establishment and its concern for correct interpretation of the Torah. The question about inheriting eternal life is central in Judaism, touching the core of obedience to God’s covenant. By asking the scholar, “How do you read it?”, Jesus honors the Law and draws from Deuteronomy and Leviticus the double commandment of love. The parable of the Good Samaritan follows immediately, illustrating what this commandment looks like in practice and exposing how religious identity can be twisted into an excuse for avoiding mercy. In Luke’s Gospel, this passage stands at the heart of Jesus’ teaching on discipleship: to follow him is to imitate his compassionate love, especially toward those considered outsiders.
Opening Life Connection
We often know in theory what is right: we can quote the commandments, summarize Church teaching, and speak about love of neighbor. Yet in daily life, we find ourselves asking questions similar to the scholar’s: “How much do I really have to do? How far does my responsibility go? Who counts as my neighbor when my time, energy, and patience feel limited?” There are people we find easy to help—those like us, those we like, those who are grateful. But we also encounter situations and persons that make us hesitate: the difficult relative, the stranger on the street, the colleague who has hurt us. Like the scholar, we may seek to justify ourselves, to draw lines that limit whom we are obliged to love. Jesus uses this parable to invite us beyond minimalism and calculation, into a generous, merciful way of life that mirrors his own Heart.
Verse-by-Verse / Phrase-by-Phrase Reflection
The passage begins with a confrontation: “There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test him”. The posture of standing suggests respect, but the intent—“to test”—reveals a hidden tension. It is possible to approach Jesus with the right words but the wrong heart, more interested in examining him than in being converted by him.
His question is fundamental: “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”. The verb “inherit” reminds us that eternal life is a gift from God, yet it also involves our response: a way of living that corresponds to God’s covenant. The scholar is asking how to orient his life toward God’s ultimate promise.
Jesus responds by turning him back to the Scriptures: “What is written in the law? How do you read it?”. Jesus does not discard the Law; he fulfills it. He invites the scholar—and us—to read the Law not as a burden but as the path to true life. “How do you read it?” is also a question about interpretation: do we read God’s word with a generous heart or a calculating one?
The scholar answers with the heart of the Torah: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind”. This love is total: heart, being, strength, mind—nothing is left outside the relationship with God. It is not a partial or occasional affection but a complete orientation of life toward God.
He continues: “and your neighbor as yourself.” Love of neighbor is not an optional extra but inseparable from love of God. To love as oneself implies recognizing the other’s dignity, desires, and needs as real and important, just as our own are. It challenges our instinct to place ourselves at the center.
Jesus affirms him: “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” The scholar has the right answer; now Jesus calls him to practice: “do this.” Eternal life is not reached by knowledge alone but by living love in concrete actions. “You will live” refers not only to survival but to the fullness of life God desires for us, beginning now and fulfilled in eternity.
Yet Luke reveals the inner struggle: “But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’”. To justify oneself is to look for ways to appear righteous without actually changing one’s heart. The question “who is my neighbor?” seeks to limit the commandment, to define who must be loved and who can be left out.
Jesus answers with a story: “A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.” The man is unnamed, without identity markers; he represents every human being. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho was steep and dangerous, known for attacks. The victim’s vulnerability evokes all those who are wounded by violence, injustice, and neglect in our world.
“They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.” He is left exposed, humiliated, and barely alive. Sin and evil not only hurt but also strip people of dignity, isolating them. The “half-dead” man lies between life and death, dependent on the mercy of others.
“A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.” The priest, a religious leader, sees the wounded man but chooses distance. Perhaps he fears ritual impurity, danger, or inconvenience. This challenges us: it is possible to be dedicated to worship and still avoid the suffering neighbor.
Likewise, “a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.” The Levite, also connected to temple service, repeats the pattern. Both see, both avoid. The problem is not ignorance but a failure of compassion: the heart remains unmoved.
Then comes the surprise: “But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight.” Samaritans were despised by Jews as religious and ethnic outsiders. Yet it is this outsider whose heart is touched. “Moved with compassion” echoes the language used for Jesus himself in the Gospels. The Samaritan’s inner movement reflects the very mercy of God.
“He approached the victim”: where others stepped away, he comes close. Mercy always involves drawing near, overcoming fear and prejudice.
He “poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.” Oil and wine, common travel supplies, become instruments of healing. The Samaritan offers what he has; he uses his resources, time, and care to restore the wounded man.
“Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn and cared for him.” Mercy is not a quick gesture; it involves carrying the weight of another’s burden and accompanying them beyond the first moment. The Samaritan interrupts his journey, rearranging his plans for the sake of this stranger.
The next day, “he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, ‘Take care of him.’” He invests his money and entrusts the innkeeper with the mission of ongoing care. Mercy becomes a shared responsibility, involving others.
He adds: “If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.” His generosity is open-ended; he is willing to absorb future costs. True love does not measure out care in strict minimums but remains ready to give more as needed.
Jesus then asks: “Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?”. The question shifts from “Who is my neighbor?” to “Who was neighbor?”—from identifying who deserves love to examining who acts with love. The focus moves from the object of love to the subject who chooses to love.
The scholar answers: “The one who treated him with mercy.” He cannot even bring himself to say “the Samaritan,” but he recognizes the essence: mercy. In that admission, his understanding of neighbor is transformed.
Jesus concludes with a command: “Go and do likewise.” The parable is not just information but a mission. To inherit eternal life, we must imitate this mercy—seeing, approaching, healing, carrying, and providing for the wounded around us. “Go and do likewise” is addressed to each disciple, in every age.
Jewish Historical and Religious Context
In Jesus’ time, the scholar of the law would have been highly respected as an expert in the Torah, often associated with the scribes. The double commandment he cites unites Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18, a combination that some rabbis already recognized as central. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho was notorious for danger, making the story realistic for Jesus’ listeners. Priests and Levites worked in the temple, and concerns about ritual purity might have been used to justify avoiding a possibly dead body. Samaritans were considered heretics and schismatics, descendants of mixed populations with a different place of worship (Mount Gerizim instead of Jerusalem). For a Samaritan to be the hero and model of neighborly love would have been shocking to Jewish ears. Jesus uses these cultural tensions to reveal that true fidelity to the Law is measured not by ritual status or group identity but by mercy expressed in concrete action.
Catholic Tradition and Teaching
The Church has always recognized this passage as a luminous summary of Christian morality: love of God and neighbor is the “greatest and first commandment” and the “second, like it.” The Catechism teaches that the entire law is fulfilled in this double commandment and that the parable of the Good Samaritan illustrates the universality of neighborly love. Catholic social teaching draws heavily from this text to insist that every person, especially the poor, the migrant, the wounded, and the marginalized, is our neighbor, regardless of nationality, religion, or social status. The Samaritan’s actions mirror Christ himself, who draws near to wounded humanity, binds our wounds, and entrusts us to the care of the Church. Some Church Fathers saw in the oil and wine symbols of the sacraments, especially anointing and the Eucharist, through which Christ heals and strengthens us. The command “Go and do likewise” resonates in the Church’s call to works of mercy, both corporal and spiritual, as indispensable expressions of living faith.
Historical or Saintly Illustration
Many saints have lived this parable in concrete ways. St. Teresa of Calcutta, for example, saw Christ in the poorest of the poor, the “half-dead” on the streets of Calcutta and beyond. Like the Good Samaritan, she did not ask who was worthy of help; she approached, tended wounds, lifted people up, and provided a place of care. Her houses for the dying and abandoned became modern “inns” where the love of Christ was made visible. Her life shows that the path to holiness is not only in extraordinary visions but in daily acts of mercy toward those who suffer at the roadside of our world.
Application to Christian Life Today
This Gospel challenges us to examine our own boundaries of love. Who are the “half-dead” along the roads of our lives—the lonely neighbor, the homeless person we pass, the coworker burdened by hidden struggles, the family member we avoid? We might recognize ourselves in the priest and Levite when we allow busyness, fear, or prejudice to keep us on the “opposite side.” Jesus invites us to slow down, to see, and to be moved with compassion. On a personal level, this may mean making time for someone in crisis, offering practical help, or reconciling with someone we have kept at a distance. As families and parishes, we are called to be “inns” of mercy, creating spaces where the wounded can find welcome, healing, and accompaniment. In society, this parable urges us to advocate for policies and structures that defend the vulnerable, resisting the temptation to walk past systemic injustice.
Eucharistic Connection
In the Eucharist, we encounter the true Good Samaritan, Christ himself. We are the ones wounded by sin, stripped and left weak, and he draws near in his word and sacrament. At Mass, he pours the “oil and wine” of grace into our wounds, binds us with his mercy, and carries us in his Body to the inn of the Church. As we receive him in Holy Communion, we are strengthened not only for our own healing but also to become Samaritans for others. The Eucharist sends us out with the same command Jesus gave the scholar: “Go and do likewise.” Having been loved and cared for by the Lord, we are called to recognize him in every wounded neighbor and to serve him there with the compassion we ourselves have received.
Messages / Call to Conversion
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Allow Jesus to move you from knowing the commandments in theory to living them concretely in love of God and neighbor.
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Let go of the desire to justify yourself by limiting who your neighbor is; ask instead how you can be a neighbor to those in need.
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Examine your tendency to “pass by on the opposite side” and ask for the grace to see and approach those who are wounded around you.
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Imitate the Good Samaritan by offering your time, resources, and compassion generously, even when it disrupts your plans.
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Draw strength from the Eucharist to become a living sign of Christ’s mercy, so that others may experience God’s love through your actions.
Outline for Preachers
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Background within the Gospel: after mission of the seventy-two and Jesus’ praise of the Father; dialogue with a legal expert about eternal life
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Life connection: knowing right teaching but struggling with limits of love; desire to define “how far” we must go
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Key verses and phrases explained: “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?”, “love the Lord… and your neighbor as yourself”, “do this and you will live”, “wished to justify himself”, “who is my neighbor?”, “passed by on the opposite side”, “moved with compassion”, “Go and do likewise”
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Jewish historical and religious context: scholar of the law, Deuteronomy and Leviticus as core commandments, hostility between Jews and Samaritans, priest and Levite as religious elites
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Catholic teaching and tradition: double commandment as summary of the Law, universality of neighbor, social teaching on the poor and marginalized, Christ as the true Good Samaritan, works of mercy
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Saintly or historical illustration: St. Teresa of Calcutta or similar figure as a modern Good Samaritan, caring for the “half-dead” on the streets
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Application to life today: personal examination of who we avoid, concrete acts of mercy, families and parishes as “inns” of healing, social responsibility for the wounded of our time
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Eucharistic connection: Christ heals us in the Eucharist, sends us out as Samaritans; altar as place where we receive strength to “go and do likewise”
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Key messages and call to conversion: from theory to practice, from self-justification to mercy, from passing by to drawing near, from woundedness to being healers through Christ
