A Jewish lawyer tests Jesus by asking a question we all honestly think about, "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus answered with a parable:The injured man on the road is treated like an outcast by 2 men considered by the world as respectable. In shocking contrast Jesus commended a Samaritan, enemy of the Jews, for having compassion/mercy for the injured man.

Jesus is telling us "Loving your neighbor" has no boundaries (including race or ethnicities), so go and love an "other". Love not just people like us, but more to the point, love people who are very different from us, people we often subject to "othering". That's what it means to be neighbors, according to God's command.

Justice Issues: COVID 19 is effecting higher percentage of POC in SF and NY, likely due to social economic conditions and injustices in healthcare and employment situations. Hate crimes on rise towards Asian Americans, who have been made the face of the virus, which should sensitize us to what happened to African American jogger Arbery, who can be seen like the injured man on the road in the parable.

Do we ignore these injustices like the Levite/priest? Or have compassion/empathy to call out such wrongs and intervene like the Samaritan? Are you a Good Neighbor?