The Samaritans, Olld and New Testament

The united kingdom of Israel lasted through just three kings: Saul, David and Solomon. It was formed, flourished and then divided, all in about 120 years. The Ten tribes of the northern kingdom ("Israel") made Samaria the capital of their new nation, though some Israelites stayed in Jerusalem because of religious devotion and the desire to be near Solomon's temple.
The two kingdoms coexisted for about 270 years, followed by the capture of Israel by the Assyrians in about 720 B.C. The time of the two kingdoms was problematic. The two nations couldn't deny that they had once been connected, but were not always allies during the wars of the period. The Assyrian capture marked the end of the historical record of the Ten Tribes, thus referred to as the "Lost Ten Tribes".
Even so, the Israelites did not completely disappear, and when the Assyrians moved people from other parts of their empire into the area, a merger of peoples and religious beliefs took place. The people became known as "Samaritans".
This group still occupied the land when a group of Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem by the decree of Cyrus the Persian, having served in what had been Babylon, then later part of the territory ruled by the Medes and Persians. This return, which involved only a small group of Jews, took place about two hundred years after the capture of Israel and sixty years after Judah's capture by the Babylonians.  
A chief goal of this repatriated group of Jews was to rebuild the temple, which was begun even without the Ark of the Covenant, which was never recovered. The Samaritans at first insisted that they participate in this project, but then, when their request was denied by the Jews, they built their own competing temple at Gerizim. This act cemented hard feelings between the two groups which continued into the life of Jesus, a full five hundred years later.
Jesus' choice of referring to a Samaritan in a parable given in response to a question from one of the Pharisees ("Who is my neighbor?") was therefore deliberate. In our day, the term "mullah" or "NAZI" would have the same effect. Since we could receive help from someone we might normally resent, it follows that we are responsible to offer aid to any of our Heavenly Father's children, whether the need is large or small, and whether or not we feel the person needing help deserves it. We are ALL each others' neighbors.