When we talk about the good Samaritans in today’s world, it is a cliche about a helpful and charitable person. Who are the Good Samaritans? They are the ones who make an effort — sometimes going out of their way — to help others, especially the down trodden or less fortunate. We want to be the good Samaritans, and certainly if we get into some kind of trouble, we want to encounter good Samaritans to help us along the way. But this is a modern day interpretation of the word.

In the times of Jesus, to be called a Samaritan was much different than to be labeled a helper. Samaritans were people from the land of Samaria.  They were considered defiled by the Jewish leaders – unclean, cast out, disenfranchised, and stigmatized by the religious elite. Back then, a good and faithful person would not even consider talking to a Samaritan.

And yet, Jesus broke with this religious tradition and interacted with Samaritans regularly.  I can think of at least three instances when he challenged his faithful followers to consider their treatment of the Samaritan people, and challenged the religious authorities to view them differently.  

When Jesus healed the ten lepers, nine left but only the Samaritan came back to praise Jesus with his thanksgiving at having been healed.  Jesus points out “only the foreigner” has a faith that we should model. (Luke 17: 11-19)

In meeting the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus offers her the Living Waters (John 4: 1-30), and transforms her status in the community from an oppressed outcast to one of the foremost evangelists to spread the news of the Messiah in her time. The Bible says that many people believed because of her witness (John 4: 42) 

And perhaps most importantly, Jesus tells us the parable of the Good Samaritan. (Luke 10: 25-37 – Our modern day definition originates from this verse.)  In this scripture, Jesus is being challenged by the religious officials to name the greatest commandment, and when he says “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself,” they challenge him further with the question “who then is my neighbor?” Jesus tells the parable and centers the Samaritan as the one who is acting like a neighbor, when the religious officials are not.  The point of the parable is this: that a neighbor is anyone among you who is in need, not just your own people.  And in this story, the Samaritan is the one who models the behavior Jesus wants us all to exhibit when he says “love your neighbor.” Again, the outcast becomes the example that we should all follow, and not the religious elites who would have Jesus obey the cultural norms that gave them status above others.  It was a shocking response to the Pharisees, and it may be just as shocking to some folks today.  Who is my neighbor? Anyone in need, because compassion should never be limited by cultural or social  barriers.

So… where are the Samaritans today?  They are still here among us – as the outsiders, the foreigners, the marginalized, and the oppressed – and God is still calling us to love them as our neighbors. Just as Jesus did so long ago.

NOTE: this blog post was originally written for the Waconia Patriot’s Faith in Conversation column for their October 4, 2025 issue.