Luke 10:29-37
“But he, desiring to justify himself, asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus answered, "A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. By chance a certain priest was going down that way. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Levite also, when he came to the place, and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he traveled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion, came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He set him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, and gave them to the host, and said to him, 'Take care of him. Whatever you spend more, I will repay you when I return.' Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?" He said, "He who showed mercy on him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."”
This passage is part of Jesus's teachings in the Gospel of Luke. A lawyer asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life, and Jesus responds by referencing the Jewish law to love God and neighbor. The lawyer then asks a follow-up question, "Who is my neighbor?", prompting Jesus to tell the parable of the Good Samaritan.
How might seeing 'neighbor' as an action rather than an identity challenge our current social divides?