The Good Samaritan
Being a good neighbor starts by being interruptible enough to notice those in need around us.
As we continue in considering the parables of Jesus and how they help instruct us so much in how we should live, a shocking story is told in the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37. We see a Lawyer ask Jesus a question many of us have wondered about in our faith- how do we obtain eternal life? Once it’s established that the whole of the law is summed up in loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself, the lawyer tries to wriggle out of the responsibility to love his neighbor by asking, “Who is my neighbor?”
Jesus responds by telling a story of a man who was robbed and left dying by the side of the road. 3 men walk by, two of whom were the religious leaders you would expect to help, a Priest and a Levite, who walk right on by and don't help at all, while a despised Samaritan is the one who not only notices the man, but also stops and cares for him and takes him to a hotel to recover and also pays the tab. Jesus confronts the lawyer then with this question: ‘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.’ Jesus told him, ‘Go and do likewise’” (Luke 10:36–37).
Jesus shocks the lawyer with this parable because we don’t understand just how much Jews hated Samaritans. This hatred went back hundreds of years. To admit that it was the Samaritan who was a true neighbor to this man and not a fellow Jew would have been hard for the lawyer. Jesus was pointing out that we must notice those around us in need and take time to offer help if we can. Many are too busy or distracted to notice, let alone help. The application is that everyone is capable of being our neighbor—and we are responsible for being a neighbor to everyone. We can't let our own inconvenience of false assumptions get in the way of being a good neighbor. Jesus leaves the man stunned with the power of this lesson, and we are wise to heed the lesson as well. Love one another!
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