Growing up, it was pretty easy to identify who your neighbor was. People rarely moved, so learning everyone in a 2-3 block radius was pretty easy. I would grow up with kids, know their siblings, parents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Then you had neighbors from your church and parents would know people they worked with. Today we are not afforded that luxury.
Perhaps it’s the stress of working non-stop, fear of strangers, activities 24/7, and the ever-ready online entertainment that tends to build a wall against knowing who your neighbor is. Something happened this week that brought being a neighbor up close and personal to me.
My husband and I have a lot of acquaintances. We know enough to greet them by name, but nothing more than that. One such acquaintance had recently been released from the hospital from major surgery. She has no transportation and no means of support. She called to see if I would pick up a prescription for an infection she developed. She also needed a few things in order to cook, since her electricity was cut off. I went to the store and got everything she needed. It was late in the day, I was tired, but I kept pressing on to get in and out of the store as soon as I could. The look on this woman’s face as I dropped off her medicine and cooking supplies was humbling. She was joyous and grateful all the same time. Then she said, “No one ever responds when I ask for help. God bless you.” I cried all the way home, ashamed at myself and humbled at the same time.
Scripture talks about who our neighbor is. In Luke 10:27-29, Jesus says: ‘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.’ And he [Jesus] said to him, ‘You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.’ But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’” To Jesus, everyone is a neighbor!
Jesus then goes on and tells the parable of the Good Samaritan. You remember, it’s a story of a man who was beaten, robbed, stripped and left for dead on the road. Three men walked by and saw the half-dead man on the side of the road, but only one of them, the Samaritan, stopped to help. In scripture, people wondered who their neighbor was. Today, we still live in a world that begs the question: Who is my neighbor?
Each and every day we’re confronted with the choice to be a neighbor to someone we don’t like or worse, someone who’s hurt us. Jesus is asking all of us today, “are we willing to be a neighbor?” This world of ours could sure use more neighbors. We want to believe that God loves us because we’re on the inside. Of course, we want Him to love those like us because they also are inside the line—they are our neighbors. But those who hate us? God must certainly feel differently toward the evil and unrighteous, right? No—not according to Jesus. He sends His sunlight and rain on everyone. His mercy extends to all of humanity without distinction, and we must follow His example.
Yes, it’s a question worth asking. Whose neighbor are we? Are we to love all the people in our lives? Do I really have to love the unlovable people in my life? Do I have to love that disrespectful student in my class or that obnoxious person I work with? And do I have to love people who have made a mess of their lives? What about that person across the street who is mean to me. What about people on the other side of the world who don’t live like I do? What about our enemies, the people who hate us? Scripture reminds us to “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18). I think loving our neighbors could certainly heal a lot of hurt and division in this world.
Lord our God, open our eyes and help us to know whose neighbors we are to be, and give us the grace to reach out in mercy and love. For Jesus’ sake, Amen.
Debby Efurd is co-founder of Cary John Efurd Ministries of Pittsburg, TX. She has been a contributor to Bound for Life and written numerous articles published in LifeNews, Christian Post and the Baptist Standard, and is the author of Go Tell It! Debby can be contacted at caryjohnefurdministries@gmail.com.
Tagged: Bible stories, God’s love, humility, Jesus
