You're My Neighbor

As I pulled my car into the driveway, I saw my neighbor and her young children outside their home.

Once I had my car off the road, I stopped and said hello.

My neighbor said hello in return and we made small talk for a time.

The eldest of her two children wanted to be included in the conversation and suddenly spoke up.

“Know what?”, she asked me in the way children do.

“What?”, I asked in return.

“You’re my neighbor!”, she exclaimed.

I then asked in return, “Know what?”

“What?”, she asked.

“You’re my neighbor, too!” I exclaimed.

She smiled at that.

What does it take to make one a neighbor?

From the viewpoint of this child, I am the man that lives next door.

That makes me her neighbor.

For adults, the answer may not be as simple as it should be.

In the tenth chapter of Luke’s Gospel, a religious leader tried to test Jesus.

This man asked Jesus what is it that he must do to inherit eternal life.

Jesus asked him a question in return.

Luke 10:26 (NET) - He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you understand it?”

The religious leader answered.

Luke 10:27 (NET) - The expert answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus replied that he answered correctly.

Luke 10:29 (NET) - But the expert, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Jesus then proceeded to tell him the Parable of The Good Samaritan.

In this Parable, a man was set upon by robbers and left to die.

First, a priest happened upon the scene and passed the man by.

Next, a Levite arrived and did likewise.

Finally, a Samaritan arrived on the scene.

He treated the man’s wounds and took him to an inn to recuperate.

The Samaritan left money with the innkeeper to take care of the man.

He even promised to pay the innkeeper whatever else was spent on the man’s care when he returned.

Jesus then asked the expert a question.

Luke 10:36 (NET) - Which of these three do you think became a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?

I find it more than a bit interesting that the expert’s answer to this question shares the same verse as the command from Jesus.

Luke 10:37 (NET) - The expert in religious law said, “The one who showed mercy to him.” So Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.”

Jesus commands us to love our neighbor.

We are to love our neighbor without condition.

This includes those who refuse to love us in return.

Isn’t it ironic that so often those who are in need of love the most are the ones we find most difficult to love?

Perhaps we can take a lesson from my neighbor’s child.

Perhaps we can start with, “Know what? You’re my neighbor!”

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, July 15, 2016.

I’ll be back here on Friday, July 22, 2016