Luke 10:25-37

Luke 10:25-37

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus 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.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you are rich in mercy and call me to imitate your merciful love. Open my eyes to recognize those who are suffering or in need. Give me the grace to respond generously with my time, talents, and resources, loving others as you have loved me.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Holiness and Mercy: Throughout Luke’s Gospel, Jesus challenges conventional ideas about holiness and reveals what it truly means to be a child of God. Those who belong to God must not only avoid sin; they must also imitate the merciful love of the Father. The Pharisees emphasized holiness as separation from what was considered unclean, including sinners, tax collectors, and Gentiles. Jesus, however, reveals that holiness is not merely separation from impurity but participation in God’s merciful love. This is why Jesus warns his disciples about the “leaven of the Pharisees” (Luke 12:1). For Jesus, the key to imitating God’s holiness is mercy (hesed), steadfast covenant love. The Law itself commanded the Israelites, “You shall not take vengeance or bear any grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18). Jesus does not abolish this command; he brings it to its fullness. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, merciful love is no longer restricted by ethnic, religious, or social boundaries. The neighbor is anyone whose need places a claim upon our love and care.

2. Who is My Neighbor? The scholar of the law asks Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” But Jesus subtly changes the question. Instead of defining which people qualify as our neighbors, he asks us to become neighbors ourselves by showing mercy. The Samaritan in the parable does not stop to determine whether the wounded man belongs to his own community or deserves his assistance. He simply sees someone in need and responds with compassion. This helps us understand how Christ brings the holiness of the Old Covenant to fulfillment in the New. The priest and Levite were bound by the ritual requirements of the Law concerning contact with the dead, since such contact could render them ritually impure and temporarily prevent them from exercising their sacred duties. Yet the wounded man is not merely an occasion for avoiding impurity; he is a person in need of mercy. Jesus teaches that holiness cannot be reduced to ritual observance or avoidance of uncleanness. True holiness expresses itself in merciful love. The New Covenant does not discard the Old Covenant’s concern for purity; rather, Christ brings it to its deepest meaning. We are called to avoid the sin that leads to spiritual death while, at the same time, drawing near to those who suffer. By God’s grace, we can both turn away from sin and actively perform works of mercy. Holiness is therefore not merely about what we avoid; it is also about the love we are willing to give.

3. Almsgiving and Mercy: The Good Samaritan’s mercy is not merely an emotion. He gives his attention, his time, his possessions, and his money to care for the wounded man. His example shows us that love of neighbor often requires a concrete gift of ourselves and our resources. Almsgiving and the corporal works of mercy are therefore important ways in which we imitate the merciful love we have received from God. There is also a deeper Christian mystery here. The Samaritan has traditionally been understood as an image of Christ, who finds humanity wounded by sin, binds our wounds, and brings us to the Church, symbolized by the inn, where we can be healed. Christ’s mercy is entirely gratuitous: we did nothing to earn his saving love. Yet the gift of grace creates a new obligation within us: we need to respond to the gift we have already received. Because Christ has shown us mercy, we are called to become merciful toward others. The Samaritan also entrusts the wounded man to the innkeeper and promises to repay whatever additional care is required. In this image, we can see a beautiful picture of the Church’s mission: to welcome, care for, and accompany those whom Christ has entrusted to her until he returns. Having received Christ’s merciful love, we are called to extend that same love to others through generosity, almsgiving, and every work of mercy. 

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are the Good Samaritan who comes to me in my woundedness and pours out your mercy upon me. You gave yourself completely on the Cross to heal me from sin. Having received such abundant mercy, teach me to become merciful. Give me courage to draw near to those who suffer and generosity to serve them without counting the cost.

Living the Word of God: Who is the person whom I am tempted to regard as “not my neighbor”? How might Jesus be calling me to cross a boundary of inconvenience, prejudice, or indifference to show that person mercy? Where have I received God’s mercy without fully recognizing it? How can gratitude for God’s grace move me to make a concrete act of mercy toward someone else? What resources can I place at the service of someone in need? Consider your time, attention, abilities, possessions, and money. What specific act of generosity or almsgiving can you make today?