Luke 10:33-35

The Samaritan was the least likely of the three travelers to offer help, yet he did so (cf. Luke 9:52). By placing "Samaritan" in the emphatic first position in the Greek sentence Jesus stressed the contrast between him and the other two travelers. The compassion that he felt overcame his racial prejudice against Jews. Jesus explained his attitude but not his other motives that were again irrelevant. The Samaritan’s compassion contrasts with the callousness of the priest and the Levite toward one of their own "neighbors." Oil soothed the victim’s wounds, and wine disinfected them. [Note: Jeremias, The Parables . . ., p. 204.] The Samaritan’s love was obvious in his willingness to inconvenience himself and to make generous and costly sacrifices for the other man’s good (cf. 2 Chronicles 28:8-15). The genuineness of his love is clear from his provision of further care the next day (Luke 10:35). It cost about one twelfth of a denarius to live for a day, so the Samaritan’s gift exceeded the man’s need many times. [Note: Idem, Jerusalem in . . ., p. 122.]