Testing or Seeking
Everybody likes to pick on lawyers and this passage doesn't help their image much. This expert in the law comes to Jesus, not because he's seeking Him, wants to follow Him or really even wants to know how to have eternal life. No, this lawyer just wants to test Jesus. And all too often we do the same thing, asking questions of Christ to test Him or see if we can find a way around the necessary obedience rather than genuinely seeking to know Him and follow Him. We play semantics (like what do you mean by "neighbor") in an effort to justify ourselves, our actions or even intentions to do anything but follow his plan. Lucky for us, Jesus cuts through it all and simply tells us to stop thinking and philosophizing so much and to simply go and do what we know Jesus says and Scripture teaches. It's time to stop testing the truth and to start truly seeking to follow and walk in the truth.
