Today a law student asks Jesus “Who is my neighbour?” he might just as well have asked, “Who is NOT my neighbour.” The law student was a Jew, and as such would only have considered fellow Jews as worthy of his neighbourly love. His loyalty to his own community would in itself have excluded those outside it. By asking Jesus “Who is my neighbour?” the lawyer is looking for excuses to withhold his love.

Are we sometimes guilty of the same transgression? We all agree in principle to Jesus’ commandment to love our neighbours, but then we rule all sorts of people out. How can we love and respect those who don’t show us any love or respect in return? How can we have sympathy for the benefit fraud, the drunk or the drug addict? How can we find any common ground with the refugee or the teenager upstairs who plays his music too loud and at all times of the day. Jesus responds to the law student by telling the story of the ‘Good Samaritan’. That he chooses a Samaritan to be the hero of the story is no  coincidence, since Jews had ongoing grievances against the Samaritans and their hostilities had long set them apart. The parable condemns non-involvement. How often do we refuse to be a ‘Good Samaritan’ because we fear for our own safety, or we are loath to spend money or time?

Regardless of who we perceive as our neighbours, and regardless of any excuses, today we are asked, “Can we truly keep the commandment that leads to eternal life?”