The road from Jericho to Jerusalem was a notoriously dangerous route and the traveler, who journeyed by himself, was obviously a reckless sort of fellow, because people usually sought the safety that numbers provided, traveling in convoys or caravans. While they are not portrayed in this panel, there were other characters in the story:
A priest hastened by, thinking the man was dead, and declined to come close.
A Levite - an assistant in the temple - also passed by, mindful of the way bandits often used one of their own as a decoy to trap and overpower unsuspecting travelers. He was a cautious fellow who took no risks by helping someone else.Then there was the man whom Jesus calle the Samaritan. The Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans, although this man seems to have been a kind of commercial traveler who made regular visits to the inn, where he was known and respected. We don’t know whether the term "Samaritan" referred to his race or his heretical nature. It doesn’t matter. The love of God was in his heart and he stopped and helped the victim.
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