Go and Do Likewise: Living the Mercy of the Good Samaritan

Go and Do Likewise: Living the Mercy of the Good Samaritan

Reflection on Luke 10:25-37

In today’s Gospel, we encounter one of the most beloved and challenging parables of Jesus: the story of the Good Samaritan. A scholar of the law asks Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus responds with a question of His own: “What is written in the law?” The scholar replies, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart… and your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus affirms this answer, but then the scholar, seeking to justify himself, asks, “And who is my neighbor?”

This is the question that prompts Jesus to tell the parable. A man is traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho when he is attacked by robbers, stripped, beaten, and left for dead. A priest and a Levite — both religious men — pass by on the other side, avoiding the injured man. But a Samaritan, someone who would have been seen as an outsider, even an enemy by the Jewish audience, stops, is moved with compassion, and goes to great lengths to care for the man.

This parable flips expectations. The religious leaders — the very ones people might expect to embody God’s compassion — walk away. And the one seen as impure, the Samaritan, becomes the model of mercy and neighborly love.

This Gospel confronts us with three important questions:

1. Who is my neighbor?
   Jesus expands the definition of "neighbor" beyond tribe, religion, or nationality. Our neighbor is not just the person we like or agree with. Our neighbor is anyone in need — even if they are different from us, even if they are inconvenient to help.

2. How do I respond to suffering?
   Like the priest and the Levite, we may be tempted to look the other way. We might rationalize our inaction — "I’m too busy," "It’s not my problem," or "Someone else will help." But love that does not become action is not the love that Jesus calls us to. Christian love is always active, always merciful.

3. Do I truly live the mercy of Christ?
   The Samaritan doesn’t just offer a quick word of encouragement — he stops, touches the wounds, bandages them, puts the man on his own animal, brings him to an inn, and pays for his care. That is sacrificial love. That is the love of Christ. Jesus isn’t just telling us to admire the Good Samaritan. He’s telling us, “Go and do likewise.”

In this parable, we can also see a deeper truth: Jesus Himself is the true Good Samaritan.
He finds us beaten and broken by sin on the road of life. Others may pass us by, but Jesus comes near. He is moved with compassion, tends our wounds, and carries us to safety — even at the cost of His own life. His mercy is not limited by our worthiness. He loves us into healing.

And so, when He says, “Go and do likewise,” He is calling us to be like Him — to be people of mercy, to be healers in a wounded world.

Key Takeaway:
To inherit eternal life, we must not only know the commandments — we must live them. Mercy is not optional in the Christian life. Every person we meet — especially those in need — is a neighbor to love.

Closing Prayer:
Lord Jesus,
You are the Good Samaritan who sees us in our brokenness and comes to our aid with compassion. Teach us to love with Your heart — to see our neighbor in the suffering, the forgotten, and the stranger.
Help us not to pass by, but to stop, to serve, and to heal.
Give us the courage to go and do likewise.
Amen.