It is not enough to ask who is my neighbor.

There are people around us who are not written about or talked about, yet it would not be easy to imagine life without them. Let’s remember what they do for us. Quietly, modestly, with a smile, a kind word, and so for years… Jesus says to the expert in the law: “Go and do likewise” (Lk 10:37). These words are the last words spoken by the Lord Jesus at the end of the parable of the “good Samaritan.” Jesus talks about love for God and neighbor and teaches this love, and his life, every word and deed, is a testimony of this love. Today, we know why Jesus died.

We are to see Jesus in the Good Samaritan. We could express it in ten points:

1) The Samaritan comes to the wounded man. Jesus comes into the world.
2) The Samaritan looks at the wounded man. Jesus took the nature of man.
3) The Samaritan is excited by the condition of the man who fell into the hands of robbers. Jesus knows the consequences of the sin that our grandparents committed and that we commit.
4) The Samaritan comes even closer to man. Jesus appears as a teacher to remind people of what God has already announced through the prophets and explain new things necessary for salvation.
5) A Samaritan heals the wounds of a wounded person. Jesus appears as a physician not only of the body but also of the soul.
6) The Samaritan put a man on his cattle. Jesus takes on his shoulders the lost sheep, every sinner.
7) The Samaritan led the man to the inn. Jesus promises his kingdom to every person who perseveres.
8) The Samaritan took care of the person. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to us, who will remind us of everything and teach us everything that he taught us.
9) The Samaritan took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. Jesus paid the debt to the Father for us.
10) The Samaritan promises the innkeeper that if you spend more, I will pay you when I return. Jesus promises to reward us with every good deed, word, and thought at the hour of our death.

These words say that this is not a momentary matter, but the parable speaks of our eternity, which has already begun and which we decide by our approach to God, our neighbor, and ourselves. The problem: “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus clearly and comprehensibly explains when he points to the priest and the Levite who cut corners, do not respect the command, or serve the person who needs help. We cannot choose our neighbors; instead, they choose us when they require something, and we can help them. Robbers can ambush even a Samaritan who stays back, just like that man, but Jesus also teaches about this.

We thank Jesus for his love, which we see in the “good Samaritan” parable. Jesus pierced his heart out of love for us. He died but rose from the dead. Even today, it is a reminder that inspired by his love, we love God above all else and our neighbor as ourselves. Our neighbors require love. What good would we do to learn the Scripture by heart and not serve our neighbors?