25 Behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Jesus, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?”

27 He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”

28 He said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live.”

29 But he, desiring to justify himself, asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?”

30 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. 31 By chance a certain priest was going down that way. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 In the same way a Levite also, when he came to the place, and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he traveled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion, 34 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. 35 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 beyond that, I will repay you when I return.’ 36 Now which of these three do you think seemed to be a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?”

37 He said, “He who showed mercy on him.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Luke 10:25-37 - World English Bible

These passages presented Luke's twist on the Great Commandment. Unlike Mark 12:28-34, the scribe quoted Deuteronomy 6:5 (love of God) and Leviticus 19:18 (love of neighbor), threading one's orientation as the common theme, giving to God and one's neighbor their due. However, the scribe wanted to qualify the term “neighbor.” Did it refer to a fellow Jew or to anyone? Was it parochial or universal? Jesus responded in the latter with one of the most beloved parables in the gospels, the Good Samaritan. We moderns are so familiar with the story that we drain it of its sting. A history of enmity existed between Jews and Samaritans, so when the Lord made the enemy the hero of his parable, people took notice. Yes, the neighbor was universal, even to the point of emulating an adversary. No wonder the scribe could not name the hated Samaritan when Jesus asked him who acted as the neighbor! He simply said, “The one who showed him mercy.”

Love of neighbor means mercy, no matter the source.

Who has shown you mercy recently? How do you emulate that virtue in your life?