“A certain lawyer” once tempted Jesus with the question, “Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus responded with a question of His own, “What is written in the law? how readest thou?”
The lawyer simply recited the law, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.”
“Thou hast answered right,” the Savior said. “This do, and thou shalt live.”
The lawyer responded with another question: “And who is my neighbour?” That simple question prompted one of the Bible’s most well-known parables.
“And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho…”The setting alone spoke volumes to Jesus’s listeners. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho stretched about 18 miles, dropping nearly 3,000 feet as it twisted through narrow ravines and jagged rock. It was steep, exposed, and unforgiving. There were no crowds, no safety in numbers, and no quick escape. If you stepped on that road and something went wrong, help was far from guaranteed. The greatest danger came from the robbers who haunted it.
The parable continues, “[the man] fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.”
Jericho was known to be a home for many priests and Levites. So, the listeners would not have been surprised by their presence on the road to Jericho.
The story goes on, “And by chance there came down a certain priest that way; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.”
Jesus doesn’t explain why these religious leaders didn’t stop and help. Perhaps he is giving us the space to examine our own hearts.
“But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.”
Jesus asked the lawyer, “Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?”
The lawyer replied, “He that shewed mercy on him.”
“Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.” [1]
That invitation is to each of us. It rarely involves anything dramatic or grand. More often, it’s found in small, everyday acts of kindness. Those acts of kindness and compassion are hallmarks of this campus and one of the ways we strive to live as disciples of Christ. I invite you to continue noticing others and reaching out—with even greater intention.
President Russell M. Nelson taught, “One of the easiest ways to identify a true follower of Jesus Christ is how compassionately that person treats other people.” [2]
Simple acts—smiles and hellos on the sidewalk, a kind word, reaching out to someone in need, (all those little things you do so beautifully) — can do more than just brighten a moment. Showing any degree of compassion can echo far beyond what we see.
Years ago, we had an unexpected visitor to our ward in Tennessee. Her name was Jacque.
Jacque told us that twenty years earlier, she had worked for a newspaper near Nashville, editing the religion section. The paper was preparing an article about the Church. She wanted to interview a member, but she didn’t know any.
So she turned to the phone book. For those under thirty, a phone book was like a paper Google—except it only had names, addresses, and phone numbers.
She called the number listed for the Church. Surprisingly, someone answered. She explained why she was calling. The man told her he was busy at the moment, but if she could come by the church on Wednesday, he would make time for her.
As Jacque described that meeting, her voice softened. She said the man was kind, gracious, and genuinely interested in her. Then she whispered, “I think he’s the most Christlike man I’ve ever met.”
Two decades passed.
One day, Jacque was walking through a business park when she noticed a door that read: “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – Tennessee Nashville Mission.”
Her memory prompted her. She walked into what was the mission office and told her story to the senior missionary at the receptionist desk. The missionary gave her the address of the church and the time sacrament meeting started.
The very next Sunday, Jacque was sitting in the overflow of our chapel.
I asked if she remembered the man she met years earlier. Without hesitation, she said, “I’ll never forget him. His name was Todd Christofferson.”
Six weeks after her first visit to our ward, Jacque was baptized. At her baptism, the bishop invited her to share a few words. She stood at the pulpit, hair still wet, and thanked everyone for being there and for becoming her new church family.
Then, reflecting on that meeting with President Christofferson, she said: “Brothers and sisters, I hope you’ll remember that your lives may be the only Book of Mormon that someone will ever read.”
That thought has never left me.
Peter taught in the New Testament: “Be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren … be courteous.” [3]
Part of living this teaching, and of being a Good Samaritan, is showing compassion, love, and courtesy to those who are different from us. Throughout history, difference has too often been used to justify division and even prejudice. Jesus did not choose a Samaritan as the hero of the parable by accident. Jews despised Samaritans because of racial, cultural, and religious divisions. Jesus deliberately placed someone from a despised group at the center of the story and then made him the example of righteousness.
Christ’s message is unmistakable: Prejudice has no place in discipleship. And it certainly has no place at BYU-Idaho.
President Russell M. Nelson taught with great clarity: “The Creator of us all calls on each of us to abandon attitudes of prejudice against any group of God’s children.” He then spoke even more directly. “Any of us who has prejudice toward another race needs to repent!” [4]
President Dallin H. Oaks has pleaded with us: “As citizens and as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we must do better to help root out racism.” [5]
Let us take President Oaks’s plea as an invitation to examine what we tolerate, what we excuse, and what we are willing to confront.
Doing better means more than avoiding hurtful words or actions ourselves. It means refusing to be silent when they come from others. As Elder Dale G. Renlund taught, “Not throwing stones is the first step in treating others with compassion. The second step is to try to catch stones thrown by others.” [6]
If you hear offensive racial language—even when framed as a joke—have the courage to speak up. If you see someone act with prejudice, do not look the other way. Silence may feel polite, but it is not Christlike.
In the parable, the man was left alone and exposed. Elder Gerrit W. Gong recently observed: “Today many feel lonely and isolated.” He also said, “In His restored Church, we are all better when no one sits alone. Let us not simply accommodate or tolerate. Let us genuinely welcome, acknowledge, minister to, love. May each friend, sister, brother not be a foreigner or stranger but a child at home.” [7]
When I was a young bishop in Tennessee, we were neighbors to a wonderful Christian couple named Will and Karen. They weren’t members of our Church, but they were deeply Christian…good people in every sense of the word.
When I would speak in church, I would often invite them to come and see. Every time, they declined but always did so very politely.
Later, I learned Will was studying to become an associate pastor in a small Baptist church in a tiny, tiny town outside of Nashville. When I found out he was preparing for his first sermon, I asked if my family could come hear him preach. To say he was surprised would be an understatement. But he said we were more than welcome.
His church services started at 10 a.m.. Our church met at 1:00 p.m., but we also had Ward Council that morning. So, I called every member of the council and told them, “The meeting is canceled, I’m going to the Baptist church.”
When we arrived that Sunday morning, we were greeted so warmly. And I don’t just mean polite handshakes…I mean genuine, joyful, we’re-glad-you’re-here warmth.
There were a couple of things they did in that church that I loved.
If someone liked what the preacher said, they shouted out “Amen!” or “Hallelujah!” right in the middle of the sermon. Sometimes when I speak I feel like I could use a good “Amen!” or “Hallelujah!”
Right in the middle of the service, the senior pastor stood up and said, “Brothers and sisters, it’s fellowship time. I want you to stand up and go shake hands with someone you’ve never met before.”
Now, this was a very small church. And I don’t think there were any other visitors. I felt like I was in a wedding reception line as person after person came by, shook our hands, and said things like:
“We’re so happy you’re here.”
“We hope you will come back and worship with us again.”
I could have felt different and alone in that church, but somehow they made me feel like I belonged.
When our ward council finally met again, can you guess what we talked about?
We talked about how to help people feel like they are not alone on the Jericho road they may be traveling. We talked about how to help people feel that they are, as Paul said, “no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God.” [8]
And here’s the thing—the answer isn’t complicated.
It’s as simple as seeing ourselves as neighbor to each individual we interact with and treating them the way Jesus would treat them. The parable is not really about whether the wounded man is our neighbor, it’s about whether we will be neighbor to those around us.
The chorus of one of our Primary songs captures the central lesson of the parable of the Good Samaritan:
“Love one another as Jesus loves you. /
Try to show kindness in all that you do. /
Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought, /
For these are the things Jesus taught.” [9]
In his final hours, Jesus gathered His Apostles to partake of the Passover, His Last Supper. In that sacred setting, these are the things Jesus taught: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” [10]
That same commandment stands at the heart of the parable of the Good Samaritan. And I want you to know, you already live this in many quiet, meaningful ways. This is a compassionate campus. You notice people. You reach out. You make room.
My invitation is not to start doing something new, but to keep doing what you already do—with intention. Slow down just enough to see who might be struggling on the road beside you. Notice who feels alone, exposed, or overlooked. And then choose, again and again, to be the one who stops.
Be a Good Samaritan. See one another. Choose kindness. Be someone who builds and lifts. Leave people better than you found them. Be a neighbor to all, especially to those who are a little different from you.
As we ponder this parable, may we hear the things Jesus taught as if they were spoken to each of us personally, and then have the courage to go, and do likewise.
I testify of Christ and of His infinite love for you.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Luke 10:25-37.
[2] Russell M. Nelson, “Peacemakers Needed,” Liahona, Apr. 2023, 98.
[3] 1 Peter 3:8.
[4] Russell M. Nelson, Facebook, June 1 2020; reported in Tad Walch, “President Nelson: ‘Deeply Saddened at Recent Evidences of Racism and a Blatant Disregard for Human Life,’” “Faith,” Deseret News, June 1, 2020.
[5] Dallin H. Oaks, “Love Your Enemies,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2020, 28.
[6] Dale G. Renlund, “Infuriating Unfairness,” Liahona, Apr. 2021, 43.
[7] Gerrit W. Gong, “No One Sits Alone,” Liahona, Oct. 2025.
[8] Ephesians 2:19.
[9] “I’m Trying to Be like Jesus,” Children’s Songbook, 78.
[10] John 13:34–35.
About President Alvin F. Meredith III
Alvin F. Meredith III became the 18th president of Brigham Young University-Idaho on August 1, 2023. He was sustained as a General Authority Seventy on April 3, 2021, and continues to serve in that role today.
Prior to his call as a General Authority, President Meredith served as president of the Utah Salt Lake City South Mission. He also served as an Area Seventy in the North America Southeast and Asia Areas, and in a number of other Church callings including as a full-time missionary in the Utah Salt Lake City Mission.
In his professional career, President Meredith worked as a senior executive of Asurion in Tennessee, Hong Kong, and Singapore. He also worked for The Boston Consulting Group and GE Capital.
President Meredith earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Brigham Young University and a Master of Business Administration in finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.