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Luke 10:25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 10:26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 10:27 And he answering said, 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.
10:28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
10:29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? 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.
10:31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
10:32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
10:33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 10:34 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.
10:35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
10:36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 10:37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. [KJV]
A lawyer asked Jesus what he had to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus asked the lawyer what he thought the law said. The lawyer answered that the law said to love God, and love your neighbour. Jesus confirmed that the lawyer had answered correctly.
This lawyer was obviously not honestly seeking the truth from Jesus, because it says that he was "tempting" Jesus, and trying to "justify himself". Rather than accept the law that Jesus had confirmed for him in the spirit that it was given, he was trying to excuse himself from it based on the letter of the law. That's why he asked "And who is my neighbour?". He was probably hoping for an answer like "Righteous people are your neighbours, the wealthy people who take the important places at feasts and celebrations, the rich and powerful people are your neighbours".
Jesus told the lawyer the parable of the Good Samaritan to show the lawyer the answer to his question. The actions of the priest and the Levite in crossing the street to avoid the injured man show that those two people did not have compassion for the wounded man. The Samaritan helped the man because he needed help. Jesus was showing the lawyer that Christians are to help people who need help. Anybody you come across who needs help, that person is your neighbour.
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