Luke 10: 30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
Thus, as the priest in the narrative passed by on the other side, his religious beliefs didn’t interface with the needs of suffering humanity, and as such, it had become vain and empty, lacking the nuts and bolts of what God has stipulated as being true godliness.
To be a stickler for form and ceremony, while at the same time turning a blind eye to the dire needs of others, is to take the husks of religion, without the kernel of love. Indeed, the very essence of Christian life is service, and wherever the lives of those whom Jesus came to save are being taken wantonly, well- directed efforts to help should be made.
After the priest left the scene, the Levite showed up and he, at least, manifested some curiosity, yet his interest did not lead to concrete actions. It may be that his feelings were stirred, and that conscience was awakened, to the inhumane attack on the man in question, yet he did not go any further than his interest being peaked.
2nd Peter 1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study of His word. God bless!