Neighbor

Who is my neighbor?

Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?" He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." And he said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live." But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, 'Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.' Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise." - Luke 10:25-37

Jesus answers the lawyer's question with a parable, and then hands the question back to the one who asked.  Who was a neighbor to this man?

The lawyer says it was the one who showed him mercy.

We hear about these good neighbors all the time, the people who run to the aid of someone in trouble, and we even give them a name based on the man in the parable.  We call them Good Samaritans. 

But helping others, showing them mercy, has nothing to do with being good.  In fact, Jesus chose a Samaritan to be the hero because he was viewed as someone to be despised.

We don't need to think of ourselves as good neighbors, just as neighbors.  Love your neighbor as yourself.  Being a neighbor means caring about them.

We honor those who go out of their way to help someone in need, so why not be that person?

The good news is we don't have to go far at all.  We just need to care enough to see that someone could use help.

When we change our focus from where we are headed to those we find around us on the journey, we discover many opportunities to be neighbors.

So, why not? 

The Samaritan got the man help and then continued on his journey, offering to stop on his way back to settle the debt, so it isn't necessarily going to be a hardship or a delay.  It may just be an act of kindness.

Let's start looking for things we can do to make someone's day a bit better.  I assure you, it will be very rewarding for all.

More to come...