Village Schools of the Bible

WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?
By Max Frazier, Jr.

One of the hallmarks of America's past has been her strong sense of neighborhood. When crises came, e.g. poor health, natural disasters, fires, etc., neighbors rallied to each other. This was observed in such American distinctives as barn-raisings, threshing bees, and, more recently, block parties in our major cities.

The emphasis today has been upon the individual. We live for ourselves. We work to advance ourselves. Generally speaking, we have lost our sense of neighborhood. George Will wrote, "Somehow neighborliness seemed more natural when neighbors were miles apart rather than two doors down the block or the hall." The question, "Who is my neighbor?" is a pertinent one for today.

In our text passage, a young man addressed this very question to Jesus. In his answer to him, Jesus tells one of the most familiar of all the stories in the Bible, the story of the Good Samaritan.

THE INITIAL QUESTION Luke 10:25-28

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 mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' " "You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."

This young man, being an expert in the law, was concerned about his salvation. In the process of his seeking he addressed the right question to the right person. "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" That was the most important question anyone could ever ask of Jesus, for that question concerned the very essence of life itself. Its focus was not only upon the present but also upon the future. It seems that many people today do not ask this question. Perhaps their thinking is that by asking that question there is an admission of a need for salvation, and we don't like to think that we are that helpless. Or, to ask that question might mean that we must admit that we are sinners, and we certainly don't like to think that we are wrong. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, in his address before the National Prayer Breakfast in January 1979, when Jimmy Carter was President, began with these words: "Mr. President, Mrs. Carter, and Fellow Sinners." He continued by saying: "We Americans are not very much given to the thought of sin. We may make a 'mistake' as one public official admitted, or else we excuse our so-called anti-social behavior because we were fed Grade B milk as children, or because of insufficient playgrounds, or because we were loved too much by a mother or too little by a father. Karl Menninger, the distinguished psychiatrist, has written a book entitled Whatever Became of Sin? The clergy dropped 'sin' lest they offend their congregation; jurists then picked it up and turned 'sin' into 'crime,' and finally, psychiatrists converted it into a 'complex.' The result is that no one is a sinner."

Jesus directed this man's attention to the Law. Jesus did not ask him, "What do you think you need to do?" Nor did Jesus ask him, "What do your peers say you need to do?" Jesus asked him, "What does God's Word say you need to do?" Whenever we ponder the questions of life, we need to always be directed to that question, "What does God say?" There are a lot of opinion polls today and lots of surveys, but the ultimate opinion that really matters is God's.

The young man began to answer Jesus correctly. He knew God's Word. He knew what God demanded. Yet, his answer was incomplete. Notice what this man did not say. He should have admitted that he had not loved God with all his heart, soul, and strength. He should have admitted that he had not loved his neighbor as himself. The question which Jesus desired to hear was this: Lord, how can I love God with all my heart, soul, and strength; and how can I love my neighbor? That was the question Jesus desired to hear and to answer. Instead, we hear another question being asked.

A FOLLOW-UP QUESTION Luke 10:29

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

The reason for this young man's next question was a concern to justify himself. His question was very reminiscent of Peter's question, "How many times should I forgive?" (see Matthew 18:21). It seems that we always want to know when we can stop before we even begin an action. This expert in the law wanted to know before hand when he could stop loving. (I think, in the back of his mind, this man had a dreadful fear of what he was about to hear. He had this suspicion that a Gentile could possibly be his neighbor and he wasn't sure he wanted to hear that).

Jesus was about to teach that the very essence of love was that it had no limits, it had no ending.

A STORY TOLD BY JESUS Luke 10:30-35

In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of 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. 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 oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins 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.' "

There are four major characters in this story which Jesus told. The first is the victim himself. Jesus does not tell us why this man was on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. Perhaps he was a businessman who was on his way home after a successful business venture in the capital city. Perhaps he was a young man just going home to visit his parents for a few days. The only facts we know about this man are as follows:

¨ He was traveling alone, which was certainly not recommended. ¨ He was robbed, beaten, and left for dead.

This young man was indeed in a precarious situation which had partially, at least, been caused by a bad choice which he had made, i.e. traveling alone on a roadway known for its high crime rate.

The second character we are introduced to is a priest, one of a group of twelve thousand who served in the temple in Jerusalem. But this priest, on his way home to Jericho after fulfilling his priestly responsibilities, left God back in the temple. He had absolutely no compassion at all for his fellow Jew who was in a very serious condition. He was concerned that, if he touched this man and he was indeed dead, and he sure appeared dead, he would become unclean and perhaps lose his turn at serving in the temple. His duties in the temple were more important to him than his duties to his fellow man. The priest knew what to do. He knew what God's Word said, but he chose not to obey.

The Levite, our third character in the story, was an interpreter of the law and should have been very distressed as he looked at the wounded man lying there at the side of the roadway. But he was not! He seemed more concerned about himself. Perhaps the muggers were nearby. If he stopped, he might be their next victim. He had better play it safe and not get involved. And so, he chose not to obey what he knew the law demanded of him.

Lastly we meet the real hero of the story. He is a Samaritan. Why he was on this particular roadway far from his native territory we are not told. But, unlike the other two men who professed to be religious, yet turned their backs upon one who was in need, this man, although he was a member of a pseudo-pagan religion, responded with compassion and assisted the wounded man in his time of need.

The actions of this man were not hindered by a spirit of nationality or religion. He had ample reasons for not getting involved. This man was a Jew, he himself was a Samaritan. The Jews hated Samaritans and the feelings were similar of the Samaritans toward the Jews. This man even had a different religion. It would have been so easy for him not to have gotten involved. I believe that there is a great lesson here for us. How often do we neglect to respond to a person in need because he or she is so very different from us? He may speak a different language from us. He may even be of a different race. He might have different educational abilities and aptitudes. At those moments it becomes easier for us not to get involved, doesn't it? Personal differences should not impede us from helping another who is in distress.

Furthermore, the actions of the Samaritan were not hindered by great personal inconvenience. To help this man cost him both time and money. Today those are two areas we guard carefully and give up sparingly. Yet, read with me those words of Jesus: "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' " (Matthew 25:34-40)

A FOLLOW-UP QUESTION BY JESUS Luke 10:36-37

"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."

So, who was the neighbor? Rather sheepishly I am sure, the young expert in the law replied that the real neighbor was the one who had acted with mercy.

I believe that Jesus was teaching that a neighborhood is more than a place of houses and schools and businesses. A neighborhood is made by love. Jesus affirms that the real question that should be asked is this: Are we neighborly?

So, who is your neighbor? Who is my neighbor? It is any person whom we encounter during the course of each day's opportunities. Your neighbor is that associate with whom you work. It is the postman who delivers the mail to your doorstep. It is the person who checks out your groceries at the supermarket. It is the clerk who waits upon you in the store within the shopping mall. It is the teacher who ministers to your children every day. And, yes, your neighbor is the one who lives next door to you.

At times we know our neighbor well. At other times, our neighbor is really a stranger to us. Some of our neighbors are pleasant to be around, while others, well I think the great English philosopher G. K. Chesterton said it best, "The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because they are generally the same people." Some of our neighbors give evidence of a known need, while others give no such evidence. But they are people whom God has allowed us to "bump into" in our journey along the pilgrim way, just as the Samaritan "bumped into" the wounded Jew. Each neighbor is an opportunity for us to grow in our Christlikeness.

Why not sit down and make a list of every person whom you encountered today. And beside each name write a short sentence describing your attitude toward that individual. Then close with a word of prayer for each individual, thanking God for the opportunity of ministering into his or her life that day. Such an experience is humbling as we recall those with whom God asked us to share.

I close with these words from an unknown author: "Be in your spirit neighborly, and then every man will be your neighbor."

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