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“But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?” (Luke 10:29)

When the lawyer asks Jesus this question, he is playing a typically Rabbinical dialogue game. Their religion had been so horribly corrupted that their practice was little more than word games to see who could “spin” the best phrase.

The lawyer is basically seeking to justify his own definition of neighbor which was limited to his friends among the Israelites. He was asking, “Who am I allowed to hate?”

After Jesus presents the parable of the Good Samaritan, notice how He uses the same “Rabbinical Word Game” and turns the question back to the lawyer.

“Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves” (Luke 10:36)

Jesus defines a neighbor not by who THEY are but by what WE DO for those in need!

It is not about where someone is from, what they wear, what their social status is, or what their religion might be. A neighbor is someone we take care of. We are too make everyone our neighbor by our actions.