🩹 The Neighbor on the Road

A teacher of the law asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus told a story. A man was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho and was attacked by robbers. They left him hurt beside the road.

A priest came along and passed by on the other side. A Levite, another religious person, did the same. Then a Samaritan came. People listening to Jesus did not expect a Samaritan to be the hero. He saw the man, felt compassion, bandaged his wounds, put him on his own donkey, and paid an innkeeper to look after him.

Jesus asked, “Which of these three was a neighbor?” The answer was, “The one who had mercy.” Jesus said, “Go and do likewise.” Neighbor is not only the person who looks like you or likes you. Neighbor is the person in front of you who needs mercy.

You may not meet someone on a desert road. You might meet someone dropped from a game, sitting alone, or carrying too much. Mercy crosses the road. Go and do likewise, and get a trusted adult when the need is bigger than a kid can fix.