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what was the common understanding of 'love your neighbor' in jesus' time, and how did he challenge it?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Luke 10:29-37

“But he, desiring to justify himself, asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus 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. By chance a certain priest was going down that way. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he traveled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion, came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He set him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, and gave them to the host, and said to him, ‘Take care of him. Whatever you spend more, I will repay you when I return.’ Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?” He said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.””

This passage is part of a conversation between Jesus and a Jewish expert in the law. The lawyer asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life, and Jesus points him back to the law's command to love God and neighbor. When the lawyer tries to narrow the definition of 'neighbor,' Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan.

How might extending care to someone considered 'other' challenge my own existing boundaries of who qualifies as a neighbor?

Then — the setting

In Jesus' time (1st century CE in Judea), the phrase 'love your neighbor' from Leviticus 19:18 was generally understood within a defined community. For many Jewish people, 'neighbor' primarily referred to fellow Israelites or fellow Jews, members of their covenant community. While some interpretations might extend it to resident aliens living among them, it largely excluded those considered 'outsiders,' especially those who were ethnically or religiously antagonistic, such as the Samaritans. The lawyer's question, 'Who is my neighbor?', reflects this common understanding and an attempt to limit the scope of the command.

Across the Testaments

The Old Testament command to 'love your neighbor as yourself' (Leviticus 19:18) is given within the Mosaic Law, emphasizing ethical conduct within the Israelite community and towards those living peacefully among them. Jesus affirms this foundational command, but in the New Testament, particularly through parables like the Good Samaritan, he radically expands its scope. He moves the focus from identifying 'who' qualifies as a neighbor to demonstrating 'how' to be a neighbor, effectively dissolving ethnic, social, and religious boundaries in the act of compassion. While the Old Testament establishes the principle, Jesus deepens and universalizes its application, challenging comfortable, limited definitions.

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Leviticus 19:18
This verse is the original source of the command to 'love your neighbor as yourself,' which Jesus quotes.
Matthew 22:37-40
Jesus summarizes the entire law as loving God and loving neighbor, reinforcing the centrality of this command.
James 2:8
This passage calls 'love your neighbor as yourself' the 'royal law,' highlighting its continued importance for early Christians.

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