Neighbors

Lk. 10:36-37

"Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" He said, "The one who showed him mercy." And Jesus said to him, "You go and do likewise."

 

 

The story goes that the lawyer wanted to put Jesus to the test by asking what he should do to receive eternal life. His motives were not right from the get-go. But following his inquiry, Jesus asked him what the law said. Of course, the lawyer knew this and was ready with his answer. 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. Jesus simply said, do this and you will live. 

 

The lawyer desiring to justify himself asked him who was his neighbor. I think he thought he had fulfilled this verse completely. He was assured the answer would reveal his many good works. But Jesus' answer delivered a surprise. He told the story of a man traveling to Jericho who was attacked by robbers, stripped, beaten, and left by the road half dead. As he lay there, three men walked by. The first was a priest who saw the man and deliberately walked by on the other side of the road. Even though he was a man who religiously kept the law, he would not be bothered. Whatever he had going was more important than this man. The second was a Levite, a man involved in the temple as helpers to the priests. Unbelievably, the Levite responded exactly like the priest. Perhaps this was the attitude of organized religion. The third man, a Samaritan, took pity on the man and helped him. It is important to notice that the Jews would not associate with the Samaritans. They thought they were inferior in every way. But binding up his wounds, he took him to an inn where he paid for the complete care of the man. Jesus pointedly asked the lawyer, Which of these three, do you think, probed to be a neighbor? He answered. The one who showed him mercy. Even though his attitude earlier was to justify himself,  he now had true insight. He could see that neighborliness was showing mercy and was not dependent on distance, status, or heritage. Jesus told him to go and do likewise. This simple story really expands the idea of neighborliness. Often I think of the people who are on my street [and sadly I don't do very well there], but it really has nothing to do with distance or location. It has to do with my heart. When I see a need, do I get involved? Do I help even at a cost to me? Do I go out of my comfort zone to meet a need? Hard questions even in our society today where people are closed off and busy getting their own thing done. Once again, Jesus wants me to live counter-culturally, to go to the heart of the matter, and to seek to show mercy wherever it is needed.

 

Father,

Give me a heart of mercy. Give me the insight to see the need and then the strength to meet the need.

In Him,

Amen