The
parable of the Good Samaritan is a
parable told by
Jesus and is mentioned in only one of the
gospels of the
New Testament. According to the
Gospel of Luke a traveler (who may or may not have been a Jew) is stripped of clothing, beaten, and left half dead along the road. First a
priest and then a
Levite come by, but both avoid the man. Finally, a
Samaritan comes by. Samaritans and
Jews generally despised each other, but the Samaritan helps the injured man. Jesus is described as telling the parable in response to a question regarding the identity of the "neighbour", whom
Leviticus says should be loved.