This Is My Story 4 – Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
This story that Jesus told is known everywhere. In fact it even inspired a group called “Good Samaritans.” But the real story behind this story is the question “Who is my neighbor?” The title makes you laugh and you remember the times either as a kid or parent that you were reminded about a guy named Mr. Rogers. He touched a generation and that song about neighbors always takes many people back to their childhood. In this story Jesus teaches who our neighbors should become.
Just then a religion scholar stood up with a question to test Jesus. “Teacher, what do I need to do to get eternal life?” He answered, “What’s written in God’s Law? How do you interpret it?” He said, “That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself.” “Good answer!” said Jesus. “Do it and you’ll live.” Looking for a loophole, he asked, “And just how would you define ‘neighbor’?” Jesus answered by telling a story. “There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers. They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead. Luckily, a priest was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him he angled across to the other side. Then a Levite religious man showed up; he also avoided the injured man. “A Samaritan traveling the road came on him. When he saw the man’s condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable. In the morning he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take good care of him. If it costs any more, put it on my bill—I’ll pay you on my way back.’ “What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers?” “The one who treated him kindly,” the religion scholar responded. Jesus said, “Go and do the same.” Luke 10:25-37 (MSG)
A religious leader asks Jesus the big question that we all let rattle around in our heads every once in a while. What is the big thing I’ve got to get right to make it? When Jesus answers He does that annoying thing of asking a question. The religious guy answers with the famous “Love God with all your heart, mind and soul and your neighbor as much as you do yourself.” Jesus says awesome great answer now just do it. The leader then pushes it a little further by asking, “Well who is my neighbor?” Then Jesus launches into one of his most famous stories.
So He is trying to show this religious leader what it means to be someone’s neighbor. To be someone’s neighbor takes some real courage and heart. I think that is what Jesus may be trying to get this leader to think through. Why don’t we take a few minutes and see what we can learn from this story.
Your Religion Can’t Decide Who Your Neighbor Is
A man is jumped and robbed and left to die beside the road. A priest is on his way either to worship or home from worship when he sees the man laying there. He decides to cross the road and ignore the man in need. You would think that his religion would have pushed him to help the man. After all most religions have commands to help those in need and the poor and outcast, but this priest leaves his religion in his pocket and lets the man lay there dying. I wonder if the priest looked and thought well this guy got what was coming to him for something bad he did. Seems like our thoughts religiously sometimes lead us to those conclusions. They got what they deserved and if I “bail them out” I will be undoing God’s work. I grew up with that thought in my life from the teaching I received when I was younger. We live in a world now that teaches that religion is a big divider of neighbors. We can’t let it be that way anymore. Our religion should push us towards people not across the road from them.
Your Status Can’t Decide Who Your Neighbor Is
The Levite was the second hand man to the priest. Sort of the gate keeper to the whole religious scene. He was not the man, but he knew the man and was not just any guy when he showed up. He might have been on his way to somewhere important. After all the party could not start if he was not there. He was too important to stop and help someone. People helped him, he didn’t help people. Because he saw himself as important he wouldn’t stoop to be there for this man. He crossed the road and stayed important in his own mind.
Your Race Can’t Decide Who Your Neighbor Is
The third guy to walk by in Jesus story is a Samaritan. I know you were waiting for the star to show up. It is a big deal for Jesus to even put him in the story. He is hated by the people listening to the story. He was a mixed race man who had no country to call his own. He is the one who sees a Jewish man laying there and doesn’t cross the street. He cares for the man and takes him to a place and pays for him to be taken care of for a few days. He crosses some lines that weren’t crossed at that time. He didn’t see the man’s nationality he saw his need.
In our world it seems that race is in the forefront of everything. It is a tough world to grow up in now. I think there have been steps taken to heal racial wounds and tensions but I think we need to not stop short of our neighbor’s fence. Our religion, status or government cannot bridge this gap between us. Sometimes it seems as though they are fueling the fire of division. It will be individuals reaching out to help each other that turns the tide in the struggle of race and just getting along together.
God is the Inn Keeper and Needs Someone to Step Into the Story
I told you we have to find ourselves in these stories, but to also look for God in them. The inn keeper is also a neighbor to the man. When the Samaritan shows up with the injured man the inn keeper almost seems to waiting on them. He takes care of the guy until the Samaritan comes back. I know he got paid for his work but he nursed that guy back to health. God is still waiting for us to bring our neighbors to Him so that he can help heal their hurts. We know God is waiting to help but we let certain things stop us from reaching across the fence.
The one question we all need to wrestle with is this: Who did I see today that could have used a neighbor? What did and will I do about it from now on?