25  On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
26  "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"
27  He answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
28  "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."
29  But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
30  In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.
31  A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.
32  So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
33  But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.
34  He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him.
35  The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'
36  "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"
37  The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

Background:

The road was a steep dangerous downhill road about 17 miles long.  A Levites was a the priest's assistant.  Samaritans were of mixed Jewish and Gentile ancestry.  Priests and Levites didn't like them because of this.

1.  What are two illustrations in this section about helping people?

First Level:  Help others in need just because they need to be helped.

Second level:  Help people who are not the same as you.  This means people you don't agree with or approve of.

2. Which role is evident in the life of Jesus?

Jesus was like the Samaritan.  He was willing to seek and save people who were perishing.  He went to people who needed him.  The others were all caught up in their own self serving lives.  Notice how he provided for the man's needs without asking for anything in return or trying to control him.

3.  Why did the law expert ask the question?

The law expert's question was not sincere because of the words "to test Jesus" and "wanted to justify himself."  He quoted Deut 6:5 and Lev 19:18.  He tried to justify his own selfishness and defend himself against the implications of Jesus' words.

He shifted the focus off himself and what he needed to do (repent, follow Jesus, be selfless) to a legal discussion of who is and is not a neighbor.  The predominant view of the Jews was probably that only fellow Jews were neighbors.  He wanted to say that only his own people were his neighbors, and therefore it was okay to ignore other people in need.

4.  How did Jesus handle the opposition from the law expert?

Jesus took what started out as a challenge, and used a parable to make his point without starting an argument.