Who Are My Neighbors?

From Advent: A 25 Day Countdown to Christmas on YouVersion

Yesterday, we learned that Jesus’ two greatest commandments are to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves. When you read these commands, you might question or wonder who your neighbor is. And you’d be in good company with people in the Bible.

And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.” – Luke 10:25-37 ESV

In Luke 10, someone asks Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus replies by telling a parable, or story, which became known as the parable of the Good Samaritan. In this parable, a man is attacked by robbers and left for dead. Everyone who should have helped this man—a priest and a Levite—crossed the road instead of helping the man. Then a Samaritan saw the man, helped him find a place to recover, and covered the cost of his stay.

In this culture, the Samaritan would have had many reasons to cross the road and leave the man like the priest and the Levite did. Instead, he went out of his way to help and show mercy to the man.

So, who are your neighbors? Whoever comes to mind, the answer is yes. And this includes people who are harder to love, different from you, or have a social barrier of any kind that might keep you from engaging with them.

Remember, love is following Jesus’ example by treating everyone as valuable and worthy of sacrificial care.

We see this in the parable of the Good Samaritan, and we see it through God’s people in the Old Testament. In the Book of Kings, we’re introduced to a military general named Naaman.

Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” So Naaman went in and told his lord, “Thus and so spoke the girl from the land of Israel.” And the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you Naaman my servant, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” And when the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only consider, and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.” But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come now to me, that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel.” So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house. And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. – 2 Kings 5:1-14 ESV

He is described as a great and respected warrior who was famous for his many victories over God’s people. Scripture also tells us that he had leprosy, an incurable disease that would likely disfigure and kill him over the course of a few painful years.

In one of Naaman’s raids, a young girl was captured and forced to be his wife’s servant. This girl was now living in a foreign land away from any remaining family she might have and shared the same roof as the man who likely destroyed her entire community.

Yet, she had compassion on him. Through a conversation with Naaman’s wife, she shared that she knew a prophet who could heal his disease. Instead of taking revenge or holding a grudge, she showed love and mercy toward Naaman.

Ultimately, Naaman would experience healing from this otherwise incurable disease. And it’s because the young girl chose to share the love and mercy of her God with someone in need.

Pause and Pray:

Lord, thank You for the example of love You have shown us, and for the people who are also examples of Your love lived out. Please give me the strength to love everyone in my life the way You have called me to. I can’t do it on my own. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Reflect or Discuss:

Who are my neighbors that I often or easily overlook? How might I show God’s love to them today?