Question
Gramps,
Why were the Samaritans outcasts?
Ruth
Answer
Ruth,
When we read the New Testament, it can be surprising to see how often there was tension between the Jews and the Samaritans. We see this in stories such as the woman at the well, the parable of the Good Samaritan, and the account of Jesus healing ten lepers. The hostility was so deep that many Jews and Samaritans avoided each other whenever possible.
Why were the Samaritans considered outcasts? According to the Bible and Latter-day Saint understanding, the answer involves history, religion, and centuries of division.
The roots of the conflict go back to the Old Testament. After the death of King Solomon, the kingdom of Israel was divided into two nations. The northern kingdom retained the name Israel, while the southern kingdom became known as Judah. The capital of the northern kingdom eventually became Samaria.
In approximately 722 B.C., the Assyrian Empire conquered the northern kingdom. Many Israelites were taken captive, and foreign peoples were settled in the land. Over time, some of these groups intermarried with the remaining Israelites. Because of this history, many Jews later viewed the Samaritans as having lost the purity of their Israelite heritage.
However, the disagreement went beyond ancestry. Religion became an even greater source of division.
The Samaritans accepted the books of Moses but rejected much of the rest of the Old Testament. They also believed that Mount Gerizim was the proper place to worship God rather than Jerusalem. The Jews considered the temple in Jerusalem to be the divinely appointed center of worship. As centuries passed, political conflicts, cultural differences, and religious disagreements deepened the hostility between the two groups.
By the time Jesus was born, these divisions had existed for hundreds of years.
Understanding this background helps us appreciate one of the Savior’s most remarkable encounters. In John chapter 4, Jesus met a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well and asked her for a drink. Surprised, she responded:
“How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria?” (John 4:9).
John then explains:
“For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.” (See John 4:5-42)
This brief statement reveals just how unusual the conversation was. Yet Jesus treated the woman with kindness, dignity, and respect. He saw beyond the prejudices of His day and ministered to her as a daughter of God.
This pattern appears throughout the Savior’s ministry. One of the most famous examples is the parable of the Good Samaritan found in Luke 10:25–37.
To modern readers, the story may seem straightforward. A compassionate man helps someone in need. But to Jesus’s audience, making a Samaritan the hero of the story would have been startling. The priest and Levite passed by the injured man, while the Samaritan stopped, cared for him, and paid for his recovery.
The Savior’s message was powerful: true discipleship is measured by love and mercy rather than social status, ethnicity, or cultural identity.
President Thomas S. Monson taught this same principle when he said:
“Actually, love is the very essence of the gospel, and Jesus Christ is our Exemplar. His life was a legacy of love.”
President Monson’s words help us understand why Jesus consistently reached out to those whom society rejected. The Savior’s actions toward the Samaritans were expressions of pure Christlike love.
Another example appears in Luke 17:11-19.
Jesus healed ten lepers, yet only one returned to thank Him. Luke specifically records that the grateful man was a Samaritan. Once again, the Savior highlighted faith and gratitude in someone many people would have dismissed as an outsider.
From an LDS perspective, these stories teach a vital gospel truth: God does not judge people according to race, nationality, social standing, or cultural background. He judges the heart.
The Book of Mormon reinforces this principle:
“He inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him … and all are alike unto God.” (2 Nephi 26:33)
Modern prophets have emphasized this same doctrine. President Dallin H. Oaks stated:
“Racism is probably the most familiar source of prejudice today, and we are all called to repent of that.”
Similarly, President M. Russell Ballard taught:
“We need to embrace God’s children compassionately and eliminate any prejudice, including racism, sexism, and nationalism.”
These teachings echo the lesson Jesus taught through His interactions with the Samaritans. He repeatedly challenged His followers to look beyond labels and recognize the divine worth of every person.
The Church has also declared:
“Church leaders today unequivocally condemn all racism, past and present, in any form.”
Although the conflict between Jews and Samaritans was not exactly the same as modern racism, it was rooted in many of the same problems—prejudice, suspicion, and a belief that one group was somehow superior to another. Jesus directly confronted those attitudes through His example.
It is also important to remember that many Samaritans accepted Christ. Following His conversation with the woman at the well, many Samaritans believed in Him and testified to His divinity (John 4:39-42). Their faith demonstrated that God’s children can recognize truth regardless of their background or circumstances.
So why were the Samaritans outcasts? Historically, they were separated from the Jews by centuries of political conflict, mixed ancestry, religious differences, and cultural prejudice. These divisions became deeply entrenched and influenced everyday life throughout New Testament times.
Yet one of the most beautiful lessons of the gospel is that Jesus refused to let those divisions define people. He spoke with Samaritans, taught Samaritans, healed Samaritans, and used a Samaritan as the example of true neighborly love.
For Latter-day Saints, the story of the Samaritans ultimately teaches that every person is a child of God. While others saw outsiders, Jesus saw souls. While others focused on differences, He focused on divine worth. His example invites us to do the same—to look beyond labels, overcome prejudice, and extend Christlike love to all of God’s children.
Gramps
