WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR

Who Is My Neighbor Whom I Am To Love?

"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.'" Luke 10:27

The Jews interpreted neighbor very narrowly to exclude Samaritans and all Gentiles. But Jesus expanded this.

1. A neighbor is available.

Prov 27:10 "Better is a neighbor nearby than a brother far away." Your relative may be distant. Your neighbor is close at hand, and available to help you.

The scriptural principle is: "be loving to your neighbor." For if he loves his friend as he loves himself how much more would he love the Holy One who loves us without partiality, with a true compassion, for He is the Master of the world and everything is in His hand, may He be blessed. See then, "Be loving to your neighbor" is what causes "Be loving to God…

2. Love God by starting with your neighbor.

"If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also." 1 John 4:20-21

3. A Commentary on the Good Samaritan Luke 10:25-37.

Jesus taught in Parables using language as commonly understood. Lacey asks the question: how would the Lawyer react to these words which Jesus used? This is important to the impact of what Jesus said.

One of the Religious Lawyers tried to catch Jesus out. "But who is my neighbor?" Five Hebrew words are translated "neighbor." The Lawyer could have argued about each one. But Jesus was saying: Let Me show you what "neighbor" means. And He told a Parable to show the extreme feelings that "loving neighbor" can overcome.

Lacey restates the Parable to show the impact of what Jesus is saying.

There’s this man leaving Jerusalem by the Jericho Road, OK? He gets mugged by thieves, left in the gutter half-naked and two-thirds dead. One of the Rabbis is passing, sees him and crosses the road to avoid him! Then a Temple Servant goes past, sees him, and does the same. Next up a Palestinian (Samaritan) goes past, sees him, and what do you reckon? Note: Israelis would expect the Palestinian (Samaritan) to a) walk on past and ignore the wounded man; b) go over to see if they left any money; c) start kicking him to finish him off.

But Jesus shows something different. d) The Palestinian (Samaritan) cleans his injuries, lifts him on his donkey, takes him to the next country inn, pays for bed & board, promises to pay whatever extra might be needed. So, says Jesus, who’s the neighbor? The slick Lawyer mumbles, "The Sama- . . . the one who helped him." "So, go do the same," Jesus said.

God is love - God is action.
God’s world-shifting love for us
gave Him no choice but to send His Son
as a virgin sacrifice to purge the sin
that blocked us from God.
And if God Himself loves us that much -
we should love one another!
[1 John 4:7-21.]

P.S.:

We, like Peter, face times of testing.

"And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren." Luke 22:31-32

A Prayer of Repentance and Returning.

O Lord our God, we bring ourselves to Your Throne of Grace, confident that You will accept our prayer of faith. We trust you as Abraham did, and You accounted him as righteous. Please forgive us and cleanse us from all sin with the blood of Christ’s sacrifice. We struggle with doubts and fears. We are tempted and tried. But as Jesus overcame the world, give us Victory in His Name. We pray in the Name of Jesus. Amen. [Heb. 4:15-16; 1 John 1:1-10; Matt 11:28-29]