What if the Good Samaritan was Gay?

From time to time, modern readers attempt to retell the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37) in contemporary terms. One version substitutes a Catholic priest, a Restorationist preacher, and finally a gay man in the role of the Samaritan. The suggestion is that since Jesus made a despised outsider the hero, Christians today should accept homosexuality as morally legitimate because "it doesn't matter who you love so long as there is love."

At first glance this retelling seems compelling, but it misunderstands the intent of Jesus' parable. The lawyer who questioned Jesus asked, "Who is my neighbor?" The Lord's reply was not meant to redefine morality but to expand the definition of "neighbor" beyond ethnic or sectarian boundaries. In the parable, the priest and Levite represented respected religious classes who failed to show mercy, while the Samaritan–despised for his ethnicity and rival worship–did what God required. The point was clear: love of neighbor means compassion without prejudice.

But to equate Samaritan ethnicity with homosexual behavior is a category mistake. Samaritans were scorned for who they were in relation to Israel, not for moral practices that violated God's law. By contrast, Scripture consistently identifies homosexual practice as sin (Romans 1:26-27; I Corinthians 6:9-11). Jesus never erased moral boundaries, even while teaching love across human divisions.

To be sure, gay individuals, like all people, can and do show genuine acts of kindness. Christians should acknowledge such acts with gratitude and respond with respect. But kindness from a sinner does not sanctify the sin, any more than a generous atheist validates unbelief. Jesus Himself loved Samaritans yet corrected their false worship (John 4:22). He extended mercy to sinners while calling them to repentance (Luke 5:32).

Therefore, if the Samaritan were gay, the lesson about compassion would remain: anyone may show mercy, and everyone is our neighbor. But the parable cannot be stretched to redefine sin or overturn God's moral design. Love means helping those in need, while truth calls all people–whatever their background–to God's holiness.

The Good Samaritan teaches us who to love, not that sin ceases to be sin.