Samaritans and the Jewish people had parted ways in some of their beliefs and religious practices, although they remained neighbors geographically. Both groups believed in the Ten Commandments, though. When a scholar of the law asked Jesus to define “neighbor” in the second Commandment, the Lord told His parable of the good Samaritan. The scholar would have preferred a hero from his side of the ideological fence. Visiting with friends, Jesus encountered Martha, his overwhelmed hostess. Martha got nowhere by asking Jesus to tell her sister to help with the serving, instead of sitting around listening to Him. Do we tend to listen more attentively or less when the Lord doesn’t take our side?