Student Question
Who are the three people in "The Parable of the Good Samaritan" that encountered the wounded man, and what did they do?
Quick answer:
In "The Parable of the Good Samaritan," the three people who encountered the wounded man were a priest, a Levite, and a Samaritan. The priest and the Levite both saw the man but passed by on the other side of the road. The Samaritan, however, showed compassion by tending to the man's wounds, taking him to an inn, and ensuring his care.
The parable is found in Luke 10. The characters of the parable are a Jewish traveller, a Jewish Priest, a Jewish Levite and a Samaritan. The one telling the story is Jesus and he is speaking to an expert of the Law. The question concerns "who is my neighbor." The parable tries to show that the priest and Levite were not neighborly, even though they should have been. They both were Jews and presumable experts in the Law as well. However, we cannot be too hard on them, because the trail was probably dangerous and there was hatred among Jews and Samaritans. So, the actions of the Samaritan must be judged as exceptional! The Samaritan sees beyond the Jewish/Samaritan divide and shows love. In this way, Jesus redefines who is our neighbor.
This parable comes from the Gospel of Luke. At first, the man is going from Jerusalem to Jericho. ...
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He "falls in among thieves" and they beat and rob him.
So now he's on the side of the road. Two men see him first. The first is a priest and the second is a Levite (another kind of priest) both of them just go to the other side of the road -- they "pass by on the other side."
The third man is a Samaritan, he binds the man's wounds, pours oil and wine on them. Then he puts the man on his animal and took him to an inn and had him fed. The next day when he left, he had the innkeeper take care of the man saying he would pay for it.
Who encountered the wounded man in "The Parable of the Good Samaritan," and what were their actions?
The first traveler who happened by after the wounded man was left on the side of the road was a priest, which at that time meant a leader of the Jewish religious hierarchy. Specifically, priests were descendants of Aaron, the brother of Moses and the first high priest of the Israelites. The priest passed by the wounded man by crossing to the other side of the road.
The second traveler to pass by was a Levite. Levites were also leaders of Jewish worship in the synagogue, but were not from Aaron's direct lineage. The Levite also crossed the road and did nothing for the injured traveler.
The third person was the Samaritan, a citizen of Samaria, a region that was much despised by residents of Galilee. The Samaritan gave first aid to the traveler, transported him to an inn, cared for him overnight, and left funds with the innkeeper to pay for further care.