But wanting to justify ourselves, we ask, “And who is my
neighbor?”
And Jesus replies with a story:
A man was attacked by robbers on a lonely road. They took all his
belongings and left him bleeding, naked, and dying.
And then you came along. But you had to pick up the kids at soccer
practice. That big project at work was hanging over your head. You had to get
dinner on the stove. You were late for Bible Study. Besides, you weren’t
trained to deal with things like this. You didn’t have the resources. Others
were much better equipped. So you pretended you hadn’t seen the man and
continued on your way. Soon, the hectic pace of the day pushed him from your
mind.
And then along came someone else. Like you, but…more. More educated.
Wealthy beyond your imagination. More respected. Better looking. And with all the time
in the world. But this person, this best version of you, buried their nose into
their phone and refused to even make eye contact with the man.
But then, along came a Black teenager in a dark hoodie and sagging
pants.
Along came two women holding hands.
Along came a telemarketer.
Along came a barefoot man pushing a shopping cart piled with
aluminum cans and soda bottles.
Along came a woman in a hijab.
Along came a middle-aged white man in a red trucker's cap.
Along came a person wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with a flag
striped with pink, blue, and white.
Along came an indigenous millennial venturing off his reservation
for the first time.
Along came an elderly Asian man.
Along came an illegal immigrant.
Along came a Republican.
A Democrat.
An Israeli.
A Palestinian.
A Catholic.
A Mormon.
A Jew.
An atheist.
A Russian hacker.
An addict.
An ex-con.
And it was this person who saw the beaten man. Took pity on him.
Bandaged his wounds. Took care of him. Now tell me, who was a neighbor to the
beaten man?
We lower our gaze. “The one who helped him,” we mumble.
Jesus smiles, but in his eyes, there’s a deep sadness.
“Go,” he
says, “and do likewise."
