A lawyer or 'expert in the law' asked Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life.
Jesus asked him what was written in the law, and the lawyer referred to the teaching in Deuteronomy 6:4-5,
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 to the ordinance of Leviticus 19:18,
You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Jesus confirmed that the lawyer's answer was correct.
Luke's treatment of this Great Commandment differs from those of Mark and Matthew, where Jesus directly instructed his disciples that these are the greatest commandments in the Law.

The lawyer then asked who his 'neighbour' is.
In response, Jesus told a story of a traveller (who may or may not have been a Jew ) who is beaten, robbed, and left half dead along the road.
First a priest and then a Levite come by, but both avoid the man.
Finally, a journeying Samaritan comes by.
Samaritans and Jews generally despised each other, but the Samaritan helps the injured man.
This parable is recounted only in this chapter of the New Testament.

Portraying a Samaritan in a positive light would have come as a shock to Jesus's audience.
Some Christians, such as Augustine and John Newton, have interpreted the parable allegorically, with the Samaritan representing Jesus Christ, who saves the sinful soul.
Others, however, discount this allegory as unrelated to the parable's original meaning, and see the parable as exemplifying the ethics of Jesus.

The parable has inspired painting, sculpture, poetry and film.
For example, Vincent van Gogh's painting, The Good Samaritan, after Delacroix 1890, captures the reverse hierarchy of Luke's parable.
Although the priest and Levite are near the top of the status hierarchy in Israel and the Samaritans near the bottom, van Gogh reverses the traditional hierarchy in his painting.
He foregrounds the Samaritan, transforming him into a colorful figure who is larger than life, while the priest and Levite are in the background, small and insignificant.
The colloquial phrase "good Samaritan", meaning someone who helps a stranger, derives from this parable, and many hospitals and charitable organizations are named after the Good Samaritan.
A lawyer or 'expert in the law' asked Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life. Jesus asked him what was written in the law, and the lawyer referred to the teaching in Deuteronomy 6:4-5,
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 to the ordinance of Leviticus 19:18,
You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Jesus confirmed that the lawyer's answer was correct. Luke's treatment of this Great Commandment differs from those of Mark and Matthew, where Jesus directly instructed his disciples that these are the greatest commandments in the Law.
The lawyer then asked who his 'neighbour' is. In response, Jesus told a story of a traveller (who may or may not have been a Jew ) who is beaten, robbed, and left half dead along the road. First a priest and then a Levite come by, but both avoid the man. Finally, a journeying Samaritan comes by. Samaritans and Jews generally despised each other, but the Samaritan helps the injured man. This parable is recounted only in this chapter of the New Testament.
Portraying a Samaritan in a positive light would have come as a shock to Jesus's audience. Some Christians, such as Augustine and John Newton, have interpreted the parable allegorically, with the Samaritan representing Jesus Christ, who saves the sinful soul. Others, however, discount this allegory as unrelated to the parable's original meaning, and see the parable as exemplifying the ethics of Jesus.
The parable has inspired painting, sculpture, poetry and film. For example, Vincent van Gogh's painting, The Good Samaritan, after Delacroix 1890, captures the reverse hierarchy of Luke's parable. Although the priest and Levite are near the top of the status hierarchy in Israel and the Samaritans near the bottom, van Gogh reverses the traditional hierarchy in his painting. He foregrounds the Samaritan, transforming him into a colorful figure who is larger than life, while the priest and Levite are in the background, small and insignificant. The colloquial phrase "good Samaritan", meaning someone who helps a stranger, derives from this parable, and many hospitals and charitable organizations are named after the Good Samaritan.
Luke 10