Scripture · Luke 10:33-34
Luke 10:33–34 · The parable of the Good Samaritan
The Good Samaritan
But a Samaritan on a journey came upon him, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
A traveler stops beside a wounded man as the sun sinks over the water. Maximilien Luce makes the meeting small within a wide, luminous landscape, drawing attention to the hands that bring the two strangers together.
What does The Good Samaritan show?
The injured man sits low on the path at the left, his bare upper body turned toward the traveler. The traveler keeps a walking stick in one hand and reaches to him with the other. A donkey stands immediately behind them, ready to become part of the rescue. Two small figures remain visible farther along the path at the far left.
Pink light spreads over the water beneath blue and violet hills. The landscape gives the scene room to breathe, while the joined hands provide its quiet focus. Luce shows an encounter before the journey to the inn: help begins with the decision to come close.
What does Luke 10:33–34 mean?
Luke 10:33–34 follows two travelers who have seen the injured man and passed by. The Samaritan also sees him, but compassion leads him toward the man. He tends the wounds, places him on his animal, and takes him to an inn. The feeling becomes a sequence of practical actions.
Jesus tells the story after an expert in the law asks who his neighbor is. At the end, Jesus asks which traveler acted as a neighbor to the wounded man. Mercy answers the question through what a person does, and the listener is sent to do likewise.
Luke 10:33–34 carries Luce’s first gesture of help forward into the patient work of tending, transporting, and caring for the wounded man.
Sources
Christie’s — Le bon Samaritain. Exact 1896 painting, with image, signed and dated inscription, medium, and dimensions.
Luke 10 — Berean Standard Bible. The parable and its closing call to show mercy.
Also from Luke:The Angel Appearing to ZachariasAnnunciation