Luke 10:29

Luke 10:29. But he, wishing to justify himself, to declare himself righteous, over against the implied charge. He would defend himself by claiming that he had fulfilled the command in the sense which the Jews attached to the term ‘neighbor' a very narrow one, excluding Samaritans and Gentiles.

Who is my neighbor? This implies: ‘I have fulfilled the requirement according to our view of the meaning, do you interpret it differently?' The question did not involve direct hostility, but a half-awakened conscience and some willingness to be instructed, though a self-righteous desire ‘to get out of the difficulty' was the leading motive. Some think that he intended to ask this question from the first, and that ‘wishing to justify himself' means to justify his putting a question which had received so simple an answer: as if he would say: my question is not yet answered, the main point is, ‘who is my neighbor.' But this supposes too much.