Moral: Put aside your differences and help those who are in need of help.
A moral of a story is the lesson taught by that story. It is the underlying message of the story. The story of the Good Samaritan is a parable. This article titled ‘What is the moral of the Good Samaritan’ looks at the moral of the parable. This story has a religious background. The parable of the Good Samaritan is a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, as told by Jesus in the Gospels.
The Story of the Good Samaritan
In the Gospel of Luke, this parable is introduced by a question. A lawyer stood up and asked Jesus, what should he do to achieve an eternal life. And Jesus asked him how he reads what is written in the bible. The lawyer answered:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
Then the lawyer asked Jesus who his neighbor is. It is in answer to this question that Jesus narrated the story of the Good Samaritan.
A certain man was going from Jerusalem to Jericho. But he was caught by a band of robbers. The traveler was stripped of his clothing, beaten and left on the roadside to die. By chance, a priest also walked along the same road, when the priest saw the traveler, he passed to the other side of the road. A Levite also came the same way; he also passed to the other side of the road. Then a Samaritan came by, he took pity on the traveler, went to him and treated his wounds. He took the wounded man to an inn to take care of him. Next day, when he departed, he gave money to the innkeeper and asked him to look after the traveler. He also told the innkeeper that he would reimburse any extra expense they would have.
Put aside your differences and help those who are in need of help
Narrating this story, Jesus asked the lawyer which of the three – the priest, Levite or the Samaritan – does he believe to be the neighbor. And the lawyer answered that the neighbor is the one who showed mercy.
It is also important to know that Jesus’ audience was mainly Jews, and Samaritans and Jews generally despised each other. This historical context adds more meaning and value to this story.
What is the Moral of the Good Samaritan
The moral of the story is that you should put aside your differences and help those who are in need of help. The Samaritan did not think about the race or the religion of the man; he just saw a man who needed help. Stopping on the roadside and helping the man could have put the Samaritan’s life in danger too, and helping the wounded man did cost him money. Nevertheless, the Samaritan did not hesitate to help the wounded man.
This story also teaches us that people who we think might help us in need may not always be there for us. For example, we expect the priest and the Levite to help the wounded man, but they turn a blind eye to the man. It is the Samaritan who helped the man in need.
Therefore, the moral of the story is that you should put aside your differences and help those who are in need of help.
Image Courtesy:
“The Good Samaritan” by David Teniers the younger – {own}, (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
