Galatians 5:14 makes a singular decree about our neighbour: “For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: "Love your neighbour as yourself." These words from Leviticus 19 are quoted in all the Synoptic Gospels. However, but only Luke’s Gospel has the famous parable of the Good Samaritan where the question, “Who is my neighbour?” is addressed.

     The episode opens with a “lawyer” asking Jesus how to inherit eternal life. Jesus responds with a question: “What is written in the law?” The lawyer quotes verses from the Torah known to all Jews of his time— Deut.6:5 and Lev.19:18. These verses had already been combined in Jewish thought and had indeed been considered to be the foundation of the whole Torah; so by this point we observe ONLY CONTINUITY between the covenants.

     The dialogue continues, however, and the famous parable follows; a man was attacked and left for dead, and both a Priest and a Levite passed him by. There is a shocking aspect that may escape a non-Jewish reader – every Jew belongs to one of three groups; Priests, descended from Aaron; Levites, descended from Levi; and Israelites, descended from the other children of Jacob. Therefore after the Priest and Levite, a first-century Jew would have expected mention of the third group — an Israelite.

     However, the third person is not an Israelite, but a Samaritan — the enemy of the Jews. Moreover, the fact that this Samaritan proves to be a neighbour, while the Priest and the Levite fail, directly challenges the contemporary Jewish interpretation of the word “neighbour”. Thus, not only continuity, but also the innovation of the New Testament, is evident here.

     As the Samaritan is an enemy of the Jews, and the traveller who is stripped of clothing (naked), beaten and left half dead is a Jewish man, the actions of the Samaritan show that our neighbour includes our enemy. And the parable shows us that loving our neighbour as ourselves includes covering the shame and nakedness of our enemies.

     Isaiah tells us that when you see the naked, that you are to cover him. “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh?” (Isaiah‬ ‭58:6-7‬).

     The parable of the Good Samaritan is the call to action for every person who claims to be a Christian. “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:32-36).

     For did Jesus not love us when we were still His enemy? (Romans 5:10). Which was when we were naked in the shame of our sin and unrighteousness? For were we not lying in the side of the road beaten by the wages of our sin, and abandoned half dead by the world to die in our sin?

     Is the parable of the Good Samaritan then not all about ourselves? And is the Good Samaritan then not Jesus who when no one else would love us “as a neighbour”, and stop to pick us up out of the gutter (pig pen) of the world and sin, only Jesus would? And is the Inn not His Father’s House? For did Jesus not go to prepare a place for all of us in the many rooms of His Father’s house? (John 14:2). And did Jesus not pay a great price for the room of our salvation and for any additional costs for our full recovery and restoration to the Innkeeper, His Father?

Is this then not our great example? And is this not why Luke 36:6 says: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful”? And does this not tell us who our neighbour is?