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among thieves

Luke 10:30-32
"30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side."

We continue our series on Jesus's parables. Yesterday, we explored the Parable of the Pearl of Great Price (Matthew 13:45-46), which packs profound truth into two verses, calling us to reorder life around eternal values—measuring devotion by what we are willing to surrender.

Today we turn to the familiar Parable of the Good Samaritan. Note: Jesus never calls the Samaritan "good"; scholars gave it that title centuries later.

Jesus tells this story in response to a lawyer's (a religious expert) question: "Who is my neighbor?" He describes a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho who is attacked by robbers, stripped, beaten, and left half dead.

A priest comes by, sees him, and passes on the other side. Likewise, a Levite (a temple assistant) arrives, looks at the man, and also passes by on the other side.

These religious figures—expected to embody compassion and duty—fail to act. Their inaction sets up a sharp contrast with the next character: a Samaritan, despised by Jews at the time, who will demonstrate true charity.❤️

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