November 12

But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” — Luke 10:29 BSB

Loving our neighbor seems like an easy lesson at first, but as we begin to practice it, we find it is harder than we thought. There’s more to it than we imagined. We like to choose our neighbors—often preferring those who are pleasant and agreeable.

The parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us what it really means to love our neighbor. It’s easy to feel a general love for humanity when we keep people at a distance, but it’s different when we come face to face with someone who is difficult or unlikable. The Good Samaritan found his neighbor in a man who was a stranger, someone his people despised. He had to get down in the dust, tend to the man’s wounds, and then pay for his care at the inn. Loving our neighbor often comes at a cost. Jesus left no doubt about the lesson: “Go, and do likewise.”