“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
Dear members and friends,
One of the key words in the entire teachings of Jesus is the word “neighbor.” According to the Gospels, Jesus repeatedly emphasizes the importance of loving our neighbor. In John 13:34, Jesus states, “A new command I give you: Love one another.” Loving our neighbor is indeed the new commandment from Jesus! So, who is our neighbor? The English word “neighbor” is defined as “a person living near or next door to the speaker.” If we were to apply this literally and physically, a neighbor is the person or people living right next to our home. Even if we expand it, the neighbor is perhaps no more than people who are living within our community. Does this mean that we should be kind and loving to just these people?
In the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus redefines who and what a neighbor is by lifting up a Samaritan traveler who helped a troubled Jew after a priest and a Levite ignored him. According to this teaching, a neighbor is the one who is willing to help when you are in trouble and need from the perspective of the troubled Jew. And from the perspective of the Samaritan traveler, a neighbor is a person with good intentions to help another person simply because they could. The highlighted point by Jesus in the story is that it was a Samaritan who helped a Jew, despite the fact that at that time, most Jews disregarded and discriminated against Samaritans as unworthy or even sinful people. The Samaritan overcame a deeply painful history to help the troubled Jew. According to Jesus, therefore, a neighbor is a term inclusive of people living nearby (physically, emotionally, and biologically), people who are in need, my willingness to help because I could, and a good intention itself.
My brothers and sisters in God, let us take a moment of prayer this week. Let us pray for wisdom to identify those whom we could help, and for a willingness to follow our heart.
Blessings, Rev. Junchol Lee