The Good Samaritan

Christian Parable

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Retold by The Legendary Connection

TLC#00143

Once upon a time, a man was walking down a long, dusty road that stretched from the city of Jerusalem to the town of Jericho. The sun was hot, and the journey was tiring. As he made his way, something terrible happened. A group of robbers jumped out from behind the rocks, stole everything he had, hurt him badly, and left him lying by the side of the road, barely able to move.

The man was in a lot of pain, and no one was around to help. He wondered if anyone would come by to save him.

After a little while, a priest—a religious leader who worked in the temple—came walking down the same road. Surely, the man thought, this kind person would stop and help. But when the priest saw the man lying there, he hurried to the other side of the road and kept walking without a word.

Not long after that, another man came walking down the road. This man was a Levite, someone who also worked at the temple. The injured man’s hope sparked again. Maybe this man would stop! But just like the priest, the Levite crossed to the other side of the road and went on his way, never stopping to help.

The man was feeling hopeless when, a bit later, someone else came along. This time it was a Samaritan, a person from a different land. The people from the Samaritan's country and the injured man's country didn’t usually get along. But as soon as the Samaritan saw the hurt man lying there, he felt a deep sense of kindness and pity in his heart.

Without wasting a moment, the Samaritan knelt beside the man. He gently cleaned and bandaged the man's wounds, using oil and wine to make sure they healed. Then, instead of leaving him there, the Samaritan lifted the man onto his own donkey. Walking beside him, the Samaritan carefully led the donkey until they reached a nearby inn.

At the inn, the Samaritan continued to take care of the man, staying by his side all night. The next morning, the Samaritan went to the innkeeper. He handed him two silver coins and said, “Please take care of this man for me. Here is some money to cover his stay, and if you spend anything more than this, don’t worry. When I come back, I’ll pay you the rest.”

With that, the Samaritan left, but the man knew he would never forget the kindness of the stranger who had saved his life.