“Thus,
Likewise
A Levite,
When he came
To the place
Saw him.
He passed by
On the other side.”
ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ Λευείτης κατὰ τὸν τόπον ἐλθὼν καὶ ἰδὼν ἀντιπαρῆλθεν
Luke continued his unique story. Jesus said that a Levite also (ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ Λευείτης) came to this same place (κατὰ τὸν τόπον ἐλθὼν) on the road. He saw the wounded man (καὶ ἰδὼν). Then he too crossed over to the other side of the road (ἀντιπαρῆλθεν), so as not to engage with this man. The same questions can be asked of this Jewish Levite that were asked about the priest. Was it because of ritual purity? Was he in a hurry, so that he did not have time to stop? Did he simply not care? Was it too much of a bother? Normally, the Levites do not come in for much criticism in the gospel narratives. Levites were sons of Levi, and tied to ritualistic practice at the Temple. For instance, the father of John the Baptist was Zechariah and his mother Elizabeth, both of them were descendants of Aaron. Zechariah was a priest in the Jerusalem Temple, while Elizabeth was from a Levite family. These Levites had Temple duties. Thus, they were religious ritual leaders in the Jewish community. Both the priest and the Levite represented the upper religious strata of the Jewish community. Do you think that religious leaders should set an example by their lifestyle?
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 