• By Eugene Rutabagaya

Well, I asked this question to my three Children, and here is what they said :

• Samuella, 14 : Everyone whom I know
• Davinah, 11 : My friends
• Dave, 7 : People who live next to us
• And you, dear friend, who do you consider your neighbor ?

At one point, Jesus was asked this same question by a lawyer ‘who wanted to put him to test’ ! To which Jesus responded by telling the long story of the Good Samaritan (see Luke 10:25-37). Considered in and of itself, the Parable of the Good Samaritan is both intriguing and fascinating ! As an interested reader, you will wonder why ‘men of God’ of the caliber of a ‘priest’ and of a ‘Levite’ would come upon a victim of robbery and beating, and bypass him in total indifference. Feelings of indignation there. Indignation because like the poor wounded traveler, both the priest and the Levite were Jews, people of same nation and same religion. Indignation because the victim was a human being quite simply, hovering between life and death and critically needing help, which they could not provide !

Now, during the time of Jesus, there was a great enmity between the Jews and the Samaritans. But let’s take comfort in the actions of the Samaritan, who overcame the boundary of identity and demonstrated compassion and a sense of humanity towards the victim, as he came off the donkey and attended to the needy in a life-saving intervention. No wonder the Bible remembers him as the “Good” Samaritan.

Brothers and sisters, my neighbor, your neighbor is the person whom God has placed next to you, in your small world, regardless of their religion, nationality or any other social consideration. There’s no such thing like identity barrier when it comes to helping others, especially when they need us. Let’s love our neighbors and show them compassion. In lifting others we rise !

In Christ !