Who Is My Neighbor?
Luke 10:25-38 New King James Version (NKJV)
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” So he answered and said, “ ‘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.’” And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.” But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Luke 10:25-29
Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him,and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” Luke 10:30-37
Many years ago when I read this passage I asked God, “Who is my neighbor?” His answer was very simple yet profound. He said, “Your neighbor is anyone who is in your hood [sisterhood, brotherhood, fatherhood, motherhood, parenthood, childhood, etc.].” It was then that I got! Everybody is my neighbor regardless of race, creed or color. We all share one commonality and that is we are all human beings and born under very similar circumstances. My neighbor is anyone who looks like me and who breathe the same air as I do. We are all neighbors!
So recently, while reading this passage again the Lord drew my attention to the Good Samaritan and said to me, “This is how you love your neighbor.” And He outlined the following based on the Samaritan’s actions:
Observe your neighbor and assess their need.
Have compassion (which is the heart of God).
Take time from your schedule and journey to be of assistance.
Bandage their wounds when they are hurting.
Don’t ignore them and leave them for dead.
Lead them to help which is Christ Jesus.
Make sure their basic needs are taken care of and go beyond that if you have to.
It’s so easy to get so caught up in our own lives that we miss opportunities when people are in need. But if we ask God to help us to be a blessing to those around us, He will open our eyes and hearts to them so we can see the need and be a blessing.
Those who we thought would help the man who fell among thieves in this parable didn’t. In the same way, we can’t expect others to do it, because they won’t respond the way we think they should. It is our responsibility and ours alone to see and meet the needs of our neighbors. And if done with love and not out of sheer obligation, you may even gain a brother.
By: Deaquelynn Williams
