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One man dey lie down for di side of one lonely road. Dem beat am. Dem strip am. E dey breathe small-small. Footsteps dey come. And then, slowly, dem waka pass again.
Jesus dey teach, and one man wey sabi di law of Moses well-well stand up to test am. “Teacher, wetin I go do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus turn di question back to am. “Wetin dem write for di law? How you dey read am?” Di man sabi im book. “Love di Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind. And love your neighbour as yourself.” “Correct,” Jesus talk. “Do dis one, and you go live.” But di man wan justify imself. So e ask one more question. “And who be my neighbour?” Jesus answer am with one story.
“One man dey go down from Jerusalem to Jericho.” Everybody wey dey listen know dat road. E dey bend-bend go down through dry, rocky desert, e dey go down steep all di way, with plenty places where armed robbers fit hide. And dat day, armed robbers dey wait. Dem jump di traveller. Dem strip am, beat am, and leave am half dead for road side. Then dem disappear. Sun dey climb. Flies dey make noise. Di man no fit stand, e no fit shout. All wetin e fit do na to lie down for dust and hope say somebody, anybody, go come down dat road.
“By chance, one priest dey go down dat road.” Help don come, surely. One man wey dey serve for God temple. But when di priest see di man wey dem wound, e cross go di oda side and e continue to waka. “Then one Levite reach di place.” Anoda temple worker. E look. And e too pass for di oda side. Jesus no tell us why dem no stop. Maybe fear catch dem. Maybe dem dey busy. Maybe dem get reasons wey sound good. Di man still dey lie down there.
“But one Samaritan, as e dey travel, reach where di man dey.” And murmur pass through di crowd. Samaritan? “When e see am, e get compassion for am.” E go meet am. E pour oil and wine for di wounds and e bandage dem. E lift di man put for im own animal and e waka am go one inn. Di whole night e take care of am. Di next day e give di inn keeper two silver coins. “Take care of am. Anytin wey you spend pass dis one, I go pay you when I come back.”
Then Jesus ask im own question. And see how e change am. Di lawyer ask, who be my neighbour? Jesus ask, “Among dis three, which one you think say be neighbour to di man wey fall inside robbers hand?” Di lawyer no fit even bring imself to call di word Samaritan. “Di one wey show am mercy.” And Jesus talk, “Go, and do di same.”
To hear dis story di way di first listeners hear am, you need to know about Samaritans. Jews and Samaritans get di same ancestors and both of dem respect di books of Moses, but dem don divide for hundreds of years, because of where to worship God and who truly belong to im people. Samaritans dey worship for Mount Gerizim, no be for Jerusalem. Di bitterness dey both sides. John Gospel talk am straight: Jews no dey deal with Samaritans. So di hero of Jesus story na di last person wey im listeners for choose.
Di Good Samaritan. You go find am for Luke chapter 10, verse 25 reach 37. Di lawyer wan know how far im duty reach. Jesus show am somebody wey no stop to ask. So see di question wey you go carry dey go. Who dey lie down for di side of your road dis week, and you go stop?
Something to think about
Who dey lie down for di side of your road dis week, and you go stop?
Read the passage
This retelling follows Luke 10:25–37. Open your Bible and read it for yourself.
Sources for the history
- John 4:9 — E talk say Jews no dey deal with Samaritans.
- The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (1992), article “Samaritans” — How Samaritans dey worship for Mount Gerizim, how both people dey use di Pentateuch, and di long division between Jews and Samaritans.
- Kenneth E. Bailey, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes (2008) — Cultural reading of di parable, including how e shock Jewish listeners to see Samaritan as hero.
- Joachim Jeremias, The Parables of Jesus (rev. ed., 1963) — Classic study of di parable and im setting.
Narrated with Yamart Voices, original AI voices. Written and reviewed by people.