jesus' target audience, the jews, hated samaritans to such a degree that they destroyed the samaritans' temple on mount gerizim. due to this hatred, some think that the lawyer's phrase "the one who had mercy on him" () may indicate a reluctance to name the samaritan. or, on another, more positive note, it may indicate that the lawyer has recognized that both his questions have been answered and now concludes by generally expressing that anyone behaving thus is a () "neighbor" eligible to inherit eternal life. the samaritans in turn hated the jews. tensions were particularly high in the early decades of the 1st century because samaritans had desecrated the jewish temple at passover with human bones.