“Which of these three,
Do you think,
Was a neighbor
To the man
Who fell
Among the robbers?”
τίς τούτων τῶν τριῶν πλησίον δοκεῖ σοι γεγονέναι τοῦ ἐμπεσόντος εἰς τοὺς λῃστάς;
Luke continued his unique story. Jesus asked the obvious question. Which one of these three people (τίς τούτων τῶν τριῶν) did he think was a neighbor to this man (πλησίον δοκεῖ σοι γεγονέναιn) who fell among the robbers (τοῦ ἐμπεσόντος εἰς τοὺς λῃστάς)? Like most of the parables of Jesus, the moral is usually very clear. This was no exception. Jesus then asked this lawyer who had asked the question about who his neighbor was, what did he think? Who did the neighborly thing? Which one of these 3 individuals, the priest, the Levite, or the Samaritan did the right thing? A neighbor is not a physical presence but an active deed done to someone in need. Are you a good neighbor?
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 