Fiction. This is a made-up story. The people and events are not real, and any resemblance to real people is coincidental. It is written to teach a lesson, the way Jesus taught with parables. The Bible verse at the end is quoted word for word from the King James Version, which is in the public domain.

Part of our guide: Liftoff: A guide for families and young adults · Stories & Parables.

My brother Eli is seventeen and I'm twenty-two, so I was driving. It was raining hard and we were coming back from our aunt's.

There was a hatchback on the shoulder with its hazards on, and a guy kneeling by the back tire in a hoodie that was soaked through. Eli said, "Don't stop." Then he said, "That's Tyler."

I knew the name. Tyler was the one who started calling Eli a nickname I won't repeat, the one who filmed him tripping in the cafeteria and posted it. Eli didn't eat lunch in the cafeteria for most of sophomore year.

I was ready to keep going. Honestly, part of me wanted to. Two other cars passed while we sat at the light.

Eli was quiet for a second, then he said, "He doesn't know how to change it. Look at him. Pull over."

I pulled over. Eli got out in the rain, showed Tyler where the jack points were, and loosened the lug nuts while Tyler held his phone flashlight. It took maybe twenty minutes. Neither of them said much.

When it was done, Tyler said, "Thanks, man." Then, after a long pause, "Sorry about last year." Eli just nodded and got back in the car dripping wet.

I asked him why he did it. He shrugged and said, "Because he needed help and we were there." I've been thinking about that answer for a week.

The lesson

Being a neighbor isn't about who deserves it. It's about who's on the side of the road and who has the power to stop. Mercy for someone who hurt you isn't weakness; it's the strongest thing in the car.

This story echoes the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).

“Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.”

— Luke 10:36-37, King James Version

Talk about it

  • Whose side of this story have you been on?
  • What would you have done in the same spot?
  • What is one way to live this lesson out this week?

← Back to the guide · Spotted an error? Request a correction.