But that might mean something different than what we think it means. Because those Priests could have helped but had they done so they would have lost their right to do Temple work.
Leviticus 21:1 And the Lord said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people. Those Priests would have been defiled had they touched what they likely thought was a dead man. Had they check to see if the man was still alive and found him dead then they wouldn't have been able to perform their Temple work which they regarded as Holy. Much as it is regarded today.Above proving that there are Good Samaritains not just bad ones, Jesus is teaching us not to let anything prevent us from doing the right thing, even if it temporarily stops us from doing Temple work. Life is more important because life is what the Temple work is supposed to uphold.Jesus touches on this point again when He explains why He heals even on the Sabbath.
3 And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.
2 And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.
3 And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.
4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.
5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.
6 And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him. Mark 3:1-6
The mindset that the rules are more important than people is alive and well today as it always has been. But it is a blind outlook.
Jesus was more concerned with His people than He was with obeying the edicts of men. These edicts were legalistic and miss the higher point of the law entirely. Their laws were about obedience to men while Christ's higher law was about following the will of God.
If the rules we follow ignore our very humanity then why do we have them?
These Priests were letting the letter of the law trump the spirit behind the laws. How often do we deny aiding those in need because we don't want to be defiled by their presence or dirty clothes and hands or because we believe their troubles are their fault, when we don't even know their names let alone their stories?
If we let the commandments stop us from aiding others then we have got it all wrong. But it isn't always commandments that stop us, it's hunting for reasons that say we don't have to help. And we don't.
But that's not the message Jesus preached. That's not the message Jesus lived either.
Jesus was giving, loving, merciful, understanding and compassionate. So if we want to be like Him we should push those qualities to the forefront rather than find excuses to get us out of having to help as the Priests in The Good Samaritain parable did.
We can't leave children of God stranded without aid, without help and without consideration on the side of the road or on the corner with a card board sign petitioning us for aid.
It matters more that we help than it does how much we help. We may not have plenty but we have plenty of chances to help in ways big and small. As long as we do what we can we have done what we should.
What make the Priests in the parable so wrong is that they hid behind the law to avoid saving a mans life. How often have we done the same to avoid giving alms or aid?