Who was the Good Samaritan?

Jesus told us about the person we call the Good Samaritan in a parable. A parable is a fictional story meant to teach a lesson. 
 
In the 10th chapter of Luke, an expert in the Jewish Law wanted to test Jesus’ knowledge of the Scriptures. The expert asked Jesus what he had to do in order to live forever. Jesus asked how the man understood the Law. (Luke 10:27 NIV) The man answered, "…'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
 
Hoping to get Jesus to make a mistake in interpreting the Scriptures, the expert asked Jesus who his neighbor was.
 
Jesus’ answer was to tell a parable about a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho who was attacked by robbers, who beat him and left him to die on the road. A priest happened to be on that same road, but when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side, ignoring him. A Levite came along and saw the beaten man but also passed on the other side. But then a Samaritan man came by and felt sorry for the man and helped him. He bandaged his wounds and put him on his own donkey and brought him to an inn. He paid for the man to stay there until he got better, and even offered to pay extra if more care was needed.
 
We should note that the first two men (who did nothing) were so-called spiritual leaders who were supposed to teach others how to follow God’s principles. On the other hand, the Samaritan, who came from a group looked down upon by Jewish people, chose to help the man.
 
At the end of the story, Jesus asked the expert, (Luke 10:36, NIV) "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" (Luke 10:37, NLT) 
“The man replied, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Then Jesus said, ‘Yes, now go and do the same.’”
 
The lesson for us is that everyone is our neighbor – not just those living near us. We should be kind to everyone.
 
So, who was the Good Samaritan? A character in a parable told by Jesus to show us how we should treat others with kindness no matter who they are.

This video is from Christian Questions Podcast. For more information please go to https://christianquestions.com