“Which of these three, you think, proved neighbor to the man who fell among robbers?” He said, “The one who showed mercy on him.” And Jesus said, “Go and do likewise.”
Luke 10:36
The tenth chapter of Luke’s Gospel tells us that a teacher of the law asks Jesus about the greatest commandment. Jesus responds to the question with a question of his own. He asks the teacher how he reads the law. The lawyer says to love God and love our neighbor. Jesus tells him he answered correctly but then the lawyer trying to justify himself or absent himself from caring for people, asks, “Who is our neighbor?”

Jesus answers the question with the parable of the Good Samaritan. The Samaritan would have been seen as an enemy and yet he cares for a man that is beaten by robbers at great personal expense. Like the teacher we can try and justify that we don’t have responsibility to love the people around us. Jesus does not leave us that option. Instead, he tells us to act like the Samaritan who took responsibility for the man.

Pray today for the grace to act like the Good Samaritan. Pray that you would be a leader of love in your neighborhood.