The Good Samaritan

The parable of the Good Samaritan is told by Jesus in the Gospel of Luke. It is about a traveler who is stripped of clothing, beaten, and left half dead alongside the road. A Jewish priest and then a Levite come by, both avoiding the man. A Samaritan happens upon him and—though Samaritans and Jews were generally antagonistic toward each other—helps him. Jesus tells the parable in response to a provocative question from a lawyer in the context of the Great Commandment: "And who is my neighbour?" The conclusion is that the neighbour figure in the parable is the one who shows mercy to their fellow man or woman.