Monday, 20 July 2009
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Good Samaritan Parable: Who is Your Neighbor?
This past weekend my pastor talked about the Good Samaritan story. While this story is known by most people and is taught on constantly, the points raised in this sermon were concentrating on more than just the story. My church is focusing this month on community outreach and how to ministry to those around us. This is something that has started to grow on my heart. I have spent the last almost two years living on my college campus and recently moved home. I’ll be honest -- when I was there I was very much living in my bubble. One part of the Good Samaritan story that stuck out to me this time was the question raised by the expert of the law. He asked Jesus, “and who is my neighbor?” It seems like such a simple question with an obvious answer. The neighbors are the people you live around. It’s the fellow man. Jesus answered it by telling the story to illustrate you are a neighbor when you care for others and display mercy.
I have to chastise myself for my lack of “neighbor attitude” recently. I can get trapped in the thinking pattern of my neighbor as being who I live next to, but it extends beyond that. The sermon served as a wake up call or a slap for me to snap out of my old thinking. This was furthered today when I read a post about loving outside of our comfort zones. I am going to be working on this issue in my life. I want to regain my “neighbor attitude” and be able to see how I can meet the needs of others around me.
How do you view this concept of having a “neighbor attitude?”
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- From: mr_twenty_something
- Name: Tim
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Comments (13)
Your neighbor is the one who needs you.
I support you in effort to always be looking out for people who could use a helping hand. There are a lot of people out there who need a neighbor and they're not too hard to find, we just don't want to find them.
perhaps presbyterian
You cannot solve all the worlds problems; everyone is your "neighbor". Jesus himself told us the poor would always be with us. He took time away from his Ministry to pray to the Father in private. He took the boat to the other side of the lake to get away from the crowd. He teaches us that we cannot be everything to everyone, but to be effective and focused on the person next to us; if we all do that, then eventually everyone will be reached, we will have been in the role of receiver and giver. Don't let yoursefl be guilted into the role of serving everyone, you'll just wind up a doormat.
Working together is usually more productive than working alone, if both people can agree. Just as long as you make sure to defend yourself against manipulation, deceit, and harm.
I have no problem with helping a neighbor once the Church is cared for first. It is written "They shall know you by the love you have for one another." Until we can work this little tidbit out, all our looking to the needs of our neighbors is worthless.
Jesus definition of "neighbor" is even more striking when you realize that Jews and Samaritans were blood enemies. The Jews considered the Samaritans to be "half-breeds" with a heretical religion (and, naturally, the Samaritans responded in the same attitude). Jews would walk miles out of their way to avoid walking through Samaria as they traveled from Southern Israel to Northern Israel or vice-versa...in fact, part of their circuitous route was the road "from Jerusalem to Jericho" where Jesus' story takes place.
@J0EL@xanga - Thank you for sharing that background.
Like the Samaritans, those of us who are saved were once enemies of God (in truth, every man & woman apart from the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit is an enemy of God, a son of disobedience, a child of wrath), yet He loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for us while we were yet sinners. That's the kind of love Jesus is talking about in the parable. And it's a type of love that is impossible apart from God's Holy Spirit coming to indwell us. God is love. Love is of God. We cannot love God or one another or our neighbor unless we have God's love dwelling in us. If the parable is only taught as a good example for us to follow, then we're missing the whole point. The same thing with the Beatitudes. All these things are impossible with us, but only possible as Christ's nature is imparted to us. These commandments show us how impossible it is to follow God in our own strength and ability, we must not only come to Christ to receive His perfect righteousness and be justified/declared not guilty for our sin, but we must come to Christ to receive His nature so we might begin to live as children of God, to live like Christ.
awesome post! ;)
@designandart@xanga - Love it!
I would note that the context of this parable is that we cannot justify ourselves. God's love is great, greater than what we could imagine or even match. The lawyer tried to show that he met the Law and kept it; Jesus showed him that he had not and could not. He could not even keep the simple 'love your neighbor' command. Nor can we. I try yet lack the 'neighbor attitude', making excuses or compromises when I try to commit to do good. That is why we need God's mercy and grace; why faith in Christ's atonement for us is crucial. Then we pray for God to help us serve our neighbor in ways He would have us minister. When we fail, God is there to forgive our shortfalls again.
In a short and sweet answer... "Everyone is my neighbor"
Anyone you encounter who is in need is your neighbor. To love your neighbor as much as you love yourself, you must help that person as best as you are able, regardless of the personal cost. Just as we would do for ourselves, so must we do for our neighbor.