The scholar who questioned Jesus “wished to justify himself.” He wanted to show how much he knew. He wanted to show off. He wasn’t really interested in the truth; he was interested in making a good impression. And yet, Jesus took advantage of the conversation to give the world one of his most unforgettable parables.

He linked the two great loves–love for God and love for neighbor–in one great commandment, and then he clarified what he meant by “neighbor.” If we want to experience the fullness of life, all we need to do is follow this teaching of the double love. The problem comes when we run across someone who is difficult to love. Usually, that person is very close to us, as close as he was to the priest and the Levite—roads were not wide in those days, and the half-dead victim was so close that a passerby like them could easily see the color of his eyes. Only the Samaritan, the foreigner, actually had mercy on this man. The others ignored him, avoiding him. Of all the people close to me, the people I see and interact with every day, which ones do I truly see? All people are in need of love, of acceptance, of being treated like the children of God they truly are.