Who is my Neighbor?
As we pray together today, let’s reflect on one of the most well-known stories in all of scripture: The Good Samaritan. As we read today and sit with the Father, we pray for God to give us a heightened awareness of the needs of those around us.
Read Luke 10:25-29
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “‘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.’” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus is confronted with a side-swiping question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” His answer is one we quote quite often. Love God, and love your neighbor. The next question that comes is one that it seems many of us still wrestle with today… “Who is my neighbor?”
Reflect: Take a few minutes and reflect on your own answer to the question this man poses to Jesus. Who is your neighbor? What do they look like? How do they interact with you? Write down or take note of what you see when you think of your neighbor.
Read Luke 10:30-32
In reply Jesus said: A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
Jesus begins to tell a story to answer the question at hand. He shows a man in need, beaten and bruised on the verge of death. He desperately needs help. The first two people to walk by the man left him there to die. These weren’t just any folks, but the very example of what a Godly man was in that time.
I wonder how many times I’ve been like the priest or the levite, walking right past a brother or sister in desperate need only to be so distracted with my own life that I’ve missed my neighbor right in front of me.
In his commentary on this story, David Guzik gives examples of some of the thoughts that may have been going through the minds of these men that passed their neighbor by:
“This road is too dangerous for me to stop and help the man.”
“He might be a decoy for an ambush.”
“I’ve got to get to the temple and perform my service for the Lord.”
“I’ve got to get home and see my family.”
“Someone really should help that man.”
“If I’m going to serve at the temple I can’t get my clothes bloody.”
“I don’t know first aid.”
“It’s a hopeless case.”
“I’m only one person; the job is too big.”
“I can pray for him.”
“He brought it on himself, he should have never been alone on such a dangerous road.”
“He never asked for help.”
If I’m being honest, I’ve caught myself in the same thought process many times over.
Reflect: As you read of the men that passed their neighbor in need by, what are the first thoughts that come to mind?
Spend a few minutes reflecting on the times where you have missed the missional opportunity that God has placed in front of you. Where have you missed your neighbor? What are some of the reasons you may have missed them?
Read Luke 10:33-37
But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?
The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
In the end of the story, it is the unlikely Samaritan that shows mercy on the man in need. Not only did the Samaritan and Jewish people struggle to get along, but they shared a deep hatred for each other. The crowd asking this question of Jesus would’ve scoffed at the idea that a Samaritan would be considered their ‘neighbor’.
How often have we overlooked our neighbors that don’t look, think, or act like us? As we pray together for a Kansas City full of the beauty, justice, and good news of Jesus, we need a radical heightening of our missional awareness. We need a wider view of our neighbor, and eyes open to see and meet needs in our day to day lives.
Reflect: As we reflect on this story together, spend some time alone with the Father, and ask him to highlight the neighbors we have overlooked and avoided. How can we change our habits to live with a heightened missional awareness to the call of Jesus to love our neighbor?
Pray: Father, we repent of the moments where we walked past our neighbor in need. We ask that you would slow us down, and mold our hearts to see our neighbor the way that you see them. We dream of a day where the gospel flourishes in every corner of our city, and we pray that you would increase our awareness of the role you have for us in that.
We need you Father