Who can be my neighbor? How a ‘lens of care’ can transform US cities.
A story from ages past tells of a young lawyer who, after being told by a homeless carpenter to love his neighbor as himself, challenges the carpenter to define his terms. “Who is my neighbor?” the lawyer asks.
In response, the carpenter tells him a story: One by one, three men come upon a man who has been robbed and beaten. The first two pass by without offering any aid. The third, a Samaritan, bandages his wounds and takes him to an inn, where he nurses him. The next day, he gives the innkeeper money to continue caring for the man and promises to pay whatever more is needed the next time he visits.
The lawyer acknowledges that, of the three, only the Samaritan was a neighbor to the wounded man. The carpenter, Jesus, then tells the lawyer to follow that example. We never learn
