PODCAST: “Who Is My Neighbor?”—Jesus’ Answer Will Shock You

It’s one of the most well-known parables in all of Scripture, but have we truly grasped its message? When Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan, He wasn’t simply telling a nice moral story about kindness. Instead, He was radically redefining what it means to love our neighbor.

The Question That Started It All

In Luke 10:25-29, a religious expert approached Jesus and asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus, as He often did, turned the question back on him. The lawyer responded with the greatest commandments: Love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself.

But the lawyer, wanting to justify himself, pushed further: “And who is my neighbor?” It is clear that this wasn’t an innocent question but rather a test.

He wanted to know the limits of love. Surely, he thought, not everyone qualifies as a neighbor.

The Religious Failure to Love

Jesus responded not with a direct answer, but with a parable.

A man is beaten, robbed, and left for dead. A priest walks by. Then a Levite. Two religious figures, who are exactly the kind of people expected to help, pass by on the other side of the road.

Maybe they were afraid of ritual impurity.

Maybe they didn’t want to get involved.

Either way, their faith didn’t move them to action.

And then came the twist.

The Samaritan’s Compassion

A Samaritan, who were considered despised outsiders by the Jewish religious elites, stopped. Not only does the Samaritan feel compassion for the man; he acts on it. He bandaged the man’s wounds, put him on his own donkey, and paid for his care.

To the Jewish audience, this was unthinkable. Samaritans were the enemy, religious heretics, and social outcasts. Yet, Jesus made the Samaritan the hero of the story, shattering all cultural and religious expectations!

When Jesus finished, He asked the lawyer, “Who was a neighbor to the man?” Unable to even say the word Samaritan, the lawyer simply answered, “The one who showed him mercy.”

Jesus’ response? “Go and do likewise.”

What This Means for Us Today

While we could easily dismiss this parable as dealing with ancient rivalry, that would be a mistake. For it’s about us. After all, we too put limits on our compassion, deciding who is and isn’t worthy of our love. Jesus exposes this and calls us to something radical.

Our neighbor isn’t just the person who looks like us, thinks like us, or votes like us. It’s the stranger, the outcast, even the person we’d rather avoid.

The cross itself is the ultimate Good Samaritan moment. While we were wounded and broken by sin, Christ came, not to pass us by but, to heal, restore, and reconcile us to God.

So, who is your neighbor? The answer is simple: Anyone who needs mercy.

Now, go and do likewise.