And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
wounded.
Psalm 88:4 I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength:
Jeremiah 51:52 Wherefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will do judgment upon her graven images: and through all her land the wounded shall groan.
Lamentations 2:12 They say to their mothers, Where is corn and wine? when they swooned as the wounded in the streets of the city, when their soul was poured out into their mothers' bosom.
A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho
The journey from Jerusalem to Jericho was a descent of about 17 miles through rugged and treacherous terrain, known for its danger due to the presence of robbers. Jerusalem, situated on a hill, was a place of spiritual significance, while Jericho was a city of commerce. This path was notorious for its peril, making it a fitting setting for a story about vulnerability and compassion.
when he fell into the hands of robbers
Robbery was a common threat on this road, as the isolated and rocky landscape provided ample hiding places for bandits. The mention of robbers highlights the ever-present danger and the reality of evil in the world. This scenario sets the stage for the themes of mercy and neighborly love that Jesus will explore in the parable.
They stripped him, beat him, and went away
The robbers' actions were brutal and dehumanizing, leaving the man vulnerable and exposed. Stripping him of his clothes not only took away his possessions but also his dignity. This act of violence underscores the severity of the man's plight and the urgent need for compassion and assistance from others.
leaving him half dead
The phrase "half dead" indicates the man's critical condition, emphasizing his helplessness and the urgency of his need for aid. This state of being "half dead" can be seen as a metaphor for spiritual death, highlighting the need for salvation and the role of Christ as the ultimate healer and savior. The man's condition invites the listener to consider who will act as a true neighbor and show mercy.
• Jesus answers the lawyer’s challenge (Luke 10:25-29) not with an abstract argument but with a vivid, concrete story, displaying His habit of grounding divine truth in everyday life (cf. Matthew 13:34).
• By personally “taking up” the question, Christ shows that God does not brush aside sincere inquiries; He addresses them head-on, guiding listeners toward truth just as He did Nicodemus (John 3:1-3) and the rich young ruler (Mark 10:17-21).
• The narrative form also underscores that love of neighbor is practical, active, and observable—never merely theoretical (James 2:15-17).
• The descent is literal: Jerusalem sits about 2,500 feet above sea level, Jericho about 825 feet below. Listeners immediately picture the treacherous 17-mile route, known for danger—a fitting stage for a lesson on compassion.
• Spiritually, the phrase reminds us that sin and suffering occur in real locations among real people; God’s commandments apply on dusty roads as much as in temple courts (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).
• By leaving the traveler unnamed and unidentified, Jesus removes ethnic or social labels, emphasizing the universal dignity of every image-bearer (Genesis 1:27; Galatians 3:28).
• Violence and injustice are tragic realities in a fallen world (Genesis 6:11). The victim’s plight spotlights humanity’s vulnerability and our need for both divine protection (Psalm 121:7-8) and neighborly care (Micah 6:8).
• The robbers represent forces that exploit weakness—an echo of Satan’s goal “to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10).
• Jesus’ listeners, familiar with roadside bandits, would sense urgency: peril can strike anyone, anytime, reinforcing the call to constant readiness to help (Proverbs 3:27-28).
• The triple assault—stripped, beaten, abandoned—shows sin’s comprehensive ruin: physical, emotional, and social (Isaiah 1:6).
• Stripping the victim amplifies humiliation (2 Samuel 10:4-5) and leaves him without resources, illustrating utter helplessness apart from mercy (Romans 5:6).
• “Half dead” signals critical condition yet remaining hope; it sets the stage for the Samaritan’s rescue and foreshadows Christ’s mission to revive those spiritually dead in trespasses (Ephesians 2:1-5).
• The robbers’ departure underscores that evil often inflicts harm then disappears, but God raises up deliverers who reflect His character (Psalm 10:17-18).
Luke 10:30 opens the Parable of the Good Samaritan by painting a stark, literal picture of a lone traveler brutally assaulted on the Jerusalem-Jericho road. Jesus uses this real-world scenario to confront abstract religiosity and reveal that genuine love engages broken people at their point of need. The verse exposes humanity’s vulnerability, sin’s cruelty, and the urgent demand for compassionate action, preparing the listener for the Samaritan’s gracious intervention and, ultimately, for Christ’s own saving work on our behalf.
(30) A certain man went down.--Better, was going down. We enter here upon the first of a series of parables, which differ from those in St. Matthew in having more the character of actual human histories, illustrating a truth, rather than mere similitudes ("parables" in the usual sense of the word) composed for the purpose of illustration. There is obviously no reason why we should not believe them to have been (as in one case the mention of a proper name seems to imply, Lazarus, in Luke 16:20) statements of facts that had actually happened, and which had come under our Lord's observation as He travelled on His work of preaching the gospel of the Kingdom.From Jerusalem to Jericho.--The journey was one of about twenty-one miles, for the most part through a rocky and desert country, with caves that were then haunted by bands of robbers, as they have been, more or less, in later times by predatory Arabs. In Jerome's time it was known as the "red" or the "bloody" way, in consequence of the frequency of such crimes.
Fell among thieves.--Better, robbers, as elsewhere.
Verse 30. - And Jesus answering said. For reply the Master told him and the listening by-standers the parable-story we know so well as the "good Samaritan" - the parable, which has been "the consolation of the wanderer and the sufferer, of the outcast and the heretic, in every age and country" (Stanley). The story was one of those parables especially loved by Luke (and Paul), in which instruction is conveyed, not by types, but by example. It was very probably a simple recital of a fact which had happened, and at some period in the Lord's life had come under his own observation. The local scenery, the characters of the story, would all lead to the supposition that the parable was spoken in or near Jerusalem. A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. We are not told who the traveller was, Jew or Gentile; not a word about his rank, descent, or religion; simply that he was a man, a human being. It seems, however, from the whole tone of the story, most probable that the wounded traveller was a Jew. The way he was travelling was the road leading down from Jerusalem to Jericho, a distance of twenty-one miles - not the only way, but the most direct. It was a rugged, rocky pass, well adapted for the purposes of thieves and desperadoes, and was known, owing to the many dark deeds of which it had been the scene, as "The Way of Blood." The Lord's words tell the story. The traveller, likely enough a Jew pedlar, bad fallen among thieves, who had robbed him, and then had left their victim - dying or dead, what cared they? lying in the pass.