Who Is Your Neighbor?
But he wanted to justify himself, so he
asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
– Luke 10:29
This wasn’t just any man questioning Jesus. The Bible
tells us he was an expert in the law. He wanted to test Jesus. But Jesus always
has a way of turning the test back to the person asking the question.
What must you do to inherit eternal life? Love God
with all your heart and soul and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus
let the man answer for himself and then assured the “expert” that he had
answered correctly.
But the man, much like us, wouldn’t leave it there. He
wanted to know who his neighbor actually was. And Jesus, being Jesus, answered
with a parable designed to cut right to the heart of the matter. We would do
well to heed His words today.
Some Christians believe their neighbor is only an
American. What do you believe? Do you believe that Jesus only meant for us to
love those like us, those who share an earthly citizenship with us?
When Jesus told us to go forth and make disciples of
all nations I guess He didn’t intend for those disciples to be our neighbors. Maybe
Jesus never expected us to love them, to have mercy on them, to include them.
What do you think? Did Jesus expect us to look down on others, much the way the
Pharisees looked down on Gentiles (that would be me) and Samaritans?
We know the parable well. We call it the parable of
the Good Samaritan. We understand that someone should help those in need. Just
not us. That’s especially true if it means we might have to get our hands dirty
or share what we have claimed as our own.
What did you sacrifice to live in this country? For
most of us, the answer is absolutely nothing. We are here, enjoying the
freedoms and privileges, because it’s where we were born. Most have never
served in the military or fought in a foreign land. We don’t have a clue about a
lifetime of daily suffering and fear.
Yet we reject those who come to us for refuge. We
blatantly cast aside those who are hurting without bothering to hear their
story. We tell ourselves they aren’t our neighbors. Jesus didn’t intend for us
to love them. They need to follow the law. They have no right to grace or mercy
unless they follow the rules.
Was it lawful for Jews to associate with Samaritans?
Not really. It made them unclean. Maybe that was why the Samaritan had mercy in
his heart. He understood how it felt to be cast aside, to be deemed unworthy,
to be condemned because of his birth.
So, while the priest and the Levite went out of their
way to avoid a traveler in need, the Samaritan stepped up. He got his hands
dirty as he personally cared for the traveler who’d been beat up and robbed. He
paid money for a hotel room and, when he left the next day, he told the innkeeper
to look after the man and he’d pay him anything extra if the innkeeper had any
added expenses.
It cost the Samaritan. It cost him time and money. But
he did it because it was the right thing to do.
Jesus asked the “expert” which of the three men was a
neighbor to the man who fell victim to robbers. He correctly answered: the one
who had mercy on him. What was Jesus’ response? “Go and
do likewise.” (v. 37)
We spend so much time trying to sort out who is worthy
to be our neighbor. We want to pick and choose who to help and who to cast
aside. But that’s not based on the Bible. Who is your neighbor? Before you
decide, consider how Jesus would answer. Then go and do likewise.
No comments:
Post a Comment