Who Is My Neighbor and Why Should I Care?

It had to be demonstrated to the Samaritans beyond any shadow of doubt that they had really become members of the church, in fellowship with the original “pillars”.… An unprecedented situation demanded quite exceptional methods’

John Robert Walmsley Stott (English Preacher)

A religious, male, Jewish aristocrat like Nicodemus, or an untrained, female Samaritan peasant who had made a mess of her life—Jesus converses frankly with both, and happily breaks social and religious taboos to do so.

D. A. Carson

Yet not only did God save many people from a Samaritan village (John 4:39, 41–42), but also the first person to whom Jesus revealed that He was the Messiah was a Samaritan woman (John 4:25–26).

John F. MacArthur

It was not a Jew helping a Samaritan but a Samaritan helping a Jew who had been ignored by his fellow Jews! The Samaritan loved those who hated him, risked his own life, spent his own money (two days’ wages for a laborer), and was never publicly rewarded or honored as far as we know.

Warren W. Wiersbe

Jesus’ answer to the lawyer’s real question is, “Do not worry about spotting God’s people first, just be a neighbor to all, as this Samaritan was.”

Darrell L. Bock

As a neighbor, the Samaritan did everything he could.

Darrell L. Bock

The account focuses on the Samaritan’s activity as a neighbor, not on his entering the kingdom.

Darrell L. Bock

1827Our Lord Jesus Christ has done better than the Good Samaritan, because our case was worse. The wounded man could not blame himself for his sad estate. It was his misfortune, not his fault. But you and I are not only half-dead, but altogether dead in trespasses and sins, and we have brought many of our ills on ourselves. The thieves that have stripped us are our own iniquities; the wounds which we bear have been inflicted by our own suicidal hand. 23.358, 359

Charles Spurgeon

But true love is need-oriented. The Good Samaritan demonstrated great love because he sacrificed his own convenience, safety, and resources to meet another’s desperate need.

John F. MacArthur

The Samaritans were a mixed race, part Jew and part Gentile, that grew out of the Assyrian captivity of the ten northern tribes in 727 b.c. Rejected by the Jews because they could not prove their genealogy, the Samaritans established their own temple and religious services on Mt. Gerizim.

Warren W. Wiersbe

The miracle contains a double level of cultural tension, since the main figure is both a leper and a Samaritan. Lepers were culturally isolated (see 5:12–16), and Samaritans were disliked by Jews for their religious defection and for being racial half-breeds (see 9:51–56). The idea of a Samaritan leper receiving God’s help was undoubtedly shocking to many, since they had written off people in either category as being beyond help.

Darrell L. Bock

The Samaritan is one who sees the need of another, and having the resources to meet it, does so, without prejudice and regardless of circumstances. This is, in one sense, the Christian way of life.

Michael Wilcock

During your daily commute or while running errands, take the time to genuinely interact with those around you–the cashier, the bus driver, or even a stranger in the park. Instead of just rushing past each person, offer a smile, a hello, or a meaningful conversation starter like asking how their day is going. This small act can build bridges and reflect Christ's love in a simple yet profound manner, reminding us all of our shared humanity.

CSB Study Bible: Notes Chapter 10

10:33–35 The Jews considered the Samaritans to be physical half-breeds who had intermarried with foreigners and who were guilty of false worship. For such a sworn enemy of the Jews to show compassion on an injured Jew and pay the expenses of his recuperation, while two Jewish religious officials did not, would deeply humiliate a Jew.

CSB Study Bible: Notes Chapter 10

10:36–37 Now Jesus got back to the question with which this story began: Who is my neighbor? (see note at v. 29). His point was that the Samaritan proved he was a good neighbor by his gracious actions toward the man who had been attacked by robbers. It was impossible for the scribe to avoid acknowledging that it was the Samaritan who showed mercy. Jesus’s reply to go and do the same emphasized that Jews should love their Samaritan neighbors even as the good Samaritan in the story had acted in love toward a Jew.

ESV Global Study Bible Chapter 10

10:36 Which of these … proved to be a neighbor? Jesus’ question correas the lawyer’s deceitful question (v. 29). The question is not “who is my neighbor?” but “how can I be a neighbor?”