An elderly woman lies unconscious on a hot sidewalk after a terrible fall. Several people stop to help. One calls 911, another gently places a coat under her head. Others put towels under her arms, and still another holds an umbrella over her head until paramedics arrive. As the person who posted the video writes, it’s an especially heartwarming scene because those who stopped included a wide range of age and ethnicities—all working together to help someone in distress.
When an expert in God’s law asked Jesus who his neighbor was (Luke 10:29)—that is, who he was obligated to show love to—Jesus responded with a story of a man badly beaten by robbers, lying near death by the side of the road (vv. 30–31). A Levite and then a priest approached, but both passed by on the other side. Finally, a Samaritan stopped to help. What made this so unusual was that Jews and Samaritans had a history of scorn for the other. Yet it was the Samaritan who stopped (v. 33).
After telling this parable, Jesus asked which was a neighbor to the fallen man. The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him” (v. 37). Jesus told him—and us, “Go and do likewise.”
May God help us see that everyone we meet is our neighbor, another human created by Him and deserving of our aid.
