Who Is My Neighbor?
I was reading the story of the Good Samaritan this morning. We all know the story. The Pharisee, trying to trick Jesus, asks him "What do I have to do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus responds by asking him, "What do you think?" And the pharisee answers, "‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]” (Luke 10:27). Jesus tells him that is correct but the pharisee pushes even harder and asks, "And, who is my neighbor?" (Luke 10:29b) You have to wonder why this should even be a question! By asking this, the pharisee is basically saying, "Hey Jesus, tell me who I need to love and (even more importantly to him) who I don't I need to love!"
In reality this is truly a pathetic question and one that should never have been asked. It is also indicative of what is so heartbreaking in our world today (and really throughout history - although it seems to be even more pronounced lately). It seems to me that the overarching question in our society today is, "Who is it ok to hurt, turn away, let die or not help?" Instead of, "How can I love all people in the broadest and most inclusive way?" Jesus never once talked about "us and them." He never once said to take care of your own people first. He never once turned someone away or sent them away because of their background, their immigration status or even what they had done. Quite the contrary! He teaches us how to love all people boldly, serve everyone joyfully and lead others courageously.
The other thing that struck me today as I was reading this Gospel story was that Jesus never answered the question "Who is my neighbor?" Instead he told the story of the Good Samaritan. The story opens with a man about whom Christ tells us nothing. And, though we’re told nothing about this man, we are told what happened to him. He was traveling along the road from Jerusalem to Jericho when he suffered a serious injustice—an assault and robbery. Two holy men, a priest and a Levite, walk by on the other side of the road and do nothing. But then a Samaritan man (incidentally, Samaritans are hated by the Jews - the victim was a Jew) stops to help. He goes way above and beyond helping and makes sure the man is taken care of even after he leaves.
With that, Jesus turned back to the lawyer with a question of his own: “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” (Luke10:36). Now remember, the pharisee had asked, “Who is my neighbor?” Christ responded by asking, in effect, “Who acted as a neighbor?” As the Danish theologian Søren Kierkegaard observed, “Christ does not talk about knowing one’s neighbor, but about one’s self being a neighbor, about proving one’s self a neighbor.”
The question isn’t “Who are they?” but “Who are you?” when it comes to those in need. We’re called, Christ says, to be neighbors to those in need with whom we cross paths. It is not our place to decide who deserves our love, it is for us to decide who we want be. It us for us to be a good neighbor. In the Kingdom of God on earth we should never ask. "Who is our neighbor?" We should ask, " How can I be a neighbor to all people?". This is the only question that matters....
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8)
Grace and Peace
-Pastor Madeline
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