The capacity to love that which may hurt us is a quality given to humans alone. If
we do not seek to fulfill that capacity, we keep ourselves on the same level as animals,
whose primary concern is fulfilling their own need. If our love ends with our own person,
and does not reach out to our fellow human beings, we are not honoring God’s intention
for his creation. The Samaritan in the parable is our example of this kind of love. The
Samaritan had very few reasons to help the injured traveler. Samaritans were not treated
kindly in those days, as you probably know, and it would have been very easy, even
understandable, if the Samaritan had simply said “You know what? Your people have not
been very nice to mine, and now you need my help. Give me one good reason why I
should help you.” But the Samaritan was not choosy about whom he would help and
whom he would not. He did not put the traveler into a category of “people I like” or
“people I don’t like.” He only saw another human being. And when we can put our little
compartments of people aside and view humanity as a whole, we can effectively answer
the teacher of the Law’s second question, “Who is my neighbor?”
Jesus’ example in the parable can lead us to answer “Anyone who needs my
help.” But this does not mean “anyone who needs my help, granted that I’m willing to
give it.” With Jesus, there is no choice. All of humanity is our neighbor and I can
guarantee that just about everyone needs help in some way. So, though impractical as it
may seem, we must give love freely and abundantly, not limiting whom we show
kindness to, or how much. My AP Bio classmate didn’t just answer my question, but
helped me work through the entire mess of the chapter. The Samaritan didn’t just drop
the traveler off somewhere else to be helped, but he “poured wine on his wounds and
bandaged them.” He “put the man on his own animal and took him to an inn.” At the inn
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