Start with the text.
World English Bible Updated · public domain. The passages below are source text, not AI quotations.
Luke 10:25-37 Read passage
25Behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
26He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?”
27He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”
28He said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live.”
29But he, desiring to justify himself, asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?”
30Jesus answered, “A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
31By chance a certain priest was going down that way. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32In the same way a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
33But a certain Samaritan, as he traveled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion,
34came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the host, and said to him, ‘Take care of him. Whatever you spend beyond that, I will repay you when I return.’
36Now which of these three do you think seemed to be a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?”
37He said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Leviticus 19:17-18 Read passage
17“‘You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him.
18“‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people; but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
2 Chronicles 28:12-15 Read passage
12Then some of the heads of the children of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against those who came from the war,
13and said to them, “You must not bring in the captives here, for you intend that which will bring on us a trespass against the LORD, to add to our sins and to our guilt; for our guilt is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.”
14So the armed men left the captives and the plunder before the princes and all the assembly.
15The men who have been mentioned by name rose up and took the captives, and with the plunder clothed all who were naked among them, dressed them, gave them sandals, gave them something to eat and to drink, anointed them, carried all the feeble of them on donkeys, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to their brothers. Then they returned to Samaria.
Read this in context.
Jews and Samaritans had centuries of hostility. By choosing a Samaritan after a priest and a Levite pass by on the other side, Jesus shatters any boundary that limits neighbor-love to one’s own group.
What we can observe.
Luke 10:29 says the lawyer wanted to justify himself. Verses 33-35 detail the Samaritan’s compassion and practical, ongoing care. In verse 37, the lawyer cannot even bring himself to say “the Samaritan,” answering instead, “He who showed mercy on him.”
A reading to consider.
Jesus turns “neighbor” from a category we use to filter people out into a call to show active mercy to anyone in need across our path.
Where Christians differ.
This guide focuses on the shared textual observations above rather than a survey of denominational positions. It does not claim that every Christian interprets every detail alike.
Read it for yourself.
Where has a group label or disagreement kept you from seeing someone in need as your neighbor?
A question of your own?
Take what you have read into a guided study. Begin with the passages, explore their context, and keep room for your own reflection.