A religious man came to Jesus and said, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to the man, “What does the scripture say?” The man replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus said, “You’ve answered correctly. Do this and you shall live.” (Paraphrase of Luke 10:25-28). Now, the scripture says that this man felt the need to justify himself by asking one more question. So, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” You see, each person’s relationship with God can be kind of “hidden” in that it is an “internal” relationship. But when Jesus says, “Love your neighbor,” that is something that can easily be seen. You can fool people into thinking you have an “internal” relationship with God, but your “external relationships” with people are also a part of your relationship with God. So, this man wasn’t sure if he had the “external” part down correctly, so he asked, “Who is my neighbor” or, to paraphrase, “Define what you mean by the word ‘neighbor.’”
In response to this question Jesus gives us his famous parable known as “The Good Samaritan” (Luke 10:25-37). In the story of the Good Samaritan a Jewish man was beaten up by thieves and left for dead. In a short period of time 2 separate individuals (both Jews) passed by the man who was left for dead but did nothing to help him. Then a Samaritan (a hated enemy of the Jews) came upon the fallen man and helped him, and took care of him. After telling the story Jesus asked the religious man, “Who do you think was neighbor to the man who was beaten by the thieves?” The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus replied, “Go and do likewise.”
WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR? It’s important to know the answer to that question. Is it just the person who lives next door to you? The Greek word “Neighbor” in this passage is the word PLESION which means “Near.” The first part of the word NEIGHBOR is NEIGH or NIGH, so it’s somebody who is close by or NIGH to you. But, Jesus shows us in this story that anytime you’re NEAR another person you have become their neighbor for that moment in time. They don’t have to LIVE next door to you … they just have to be ALIVE next to you during your daily journey of life.
So, when you’re in the grocery store, every person you pass by in the aisle becomes your neighbor for a brief moment. When you’re sitting at a restaurant and someone sits in the booth next to you, they become your neighbor. When you’re at the gym working out and someone gets on the treadmill next to you, they become your neighbor. We come into contact with hundreds of people every week who qualify as our neighbors, according to Jesus’ words. Do we love them as we love ourselves? If they need help, do we offer them a hand?
Jesus shows us that our neighbors aren’t just the people in our neighborhood. Neighborhoods separate people. They separate rich people from poor people. They separate ethnicities. They separate age groups. But with Jesus’ definition of NEIGHBOR we come to understand that our neighbors are the people all around us in our daily lives. Those who show mercy to those who are in need are the best examples of NEIGHBORS that can be found. The Good Samaritan is the prime example of this.
James 2:8
If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,” you are doing well.
