Who is my Neighbor? 9/4/2020

There is a lot of fear and unrest in the world. The coronavirus still seems to be waging a battle for lives. Many of us know someone who has been affected by it. The constant reports of increased number of cases or deaths plants fear in hearts. 

Recently we have been shocked to see unjust brutality in our streets. Daily the internet and television broadcast scenes of destruction as it happens live. There is a lot of hate, mistrust, and pain in our nation. What is the answer?

Psalms 91 has sustained many of us through the months of quarantine due to the coronavirus. Verse 1 says, “He who dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”  I truly believe that Jesus is the answer to the fear, hate, mistrust, and pain. Only with His help can we help those in need.

Jesus loves us. He wants us to love others. We can be part of the solution. The world will see Jesus in us if we love others like He loves them. We need to see people as Jesus sees them. He died for all people. Jesus is not prejudice. Do we have the eyes of Jesus?

Jesus didn’t die on the cross for perfect people. He didn’t take the beatings, bruises, and stripes on His body for healthy people. He did all the things His Father told Him to do for imperfect, scared, broken, sick and dying people—us.

We need to have compassion for others as Jesus did.  Compassion was the direct motive for at least 5 miracles by Jesus. Compassion is that feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for someone struck with misfortune, accompanied by a desire to alleviate the suffering. In other words - mercy! Jesus was moved with compassion when He saw a need, and He responded with teaching, healing, feeding, and loving. In Matthew 9:38 Jesus prays for more laborers to help. He was praying for us.

In a world with an ever changing culture, the Body of Christ, the church, must continue walking in the love of Jesus.  We must never stop being the hands and feet of Jesus. We must continue to believe and do His commandments. Jesus makes it simple in Mark 12:30-31, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” The world and culture may be changing, but God never changes.

So who is my neighbor?  Jesus asked this question, “Who is my neighbor?” And then tells the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:29-37. This parable deals with pain, fear, discrimination, and abandonment. The only person to stop and help the robbed and wounded Jew was a Samaritan. When Jesus shared this parable, everyone present knew the history of conflict between the Jews and the Samaritans. Jesus completes the Parable and asks in verse 36, “So which of these do you think was the neighbor?”

This question we must ask ourselves too. The answer was the person who showed mercy. The simple request from Jesus in Luke 10:37 is “go and do likewise.” God’s grace and mercy are for every person.  So go show mercy. How? With the love of Jesus.

Stop, pay attention, listen, feel the pain, show compassion, learn, and do what you can to help. Compassion will lead to empathy when we identify with the feelings and attitude of the other person. That is what the Good Samaritan did. He stopped to help when no one else would. He stepped out of his comfort zone. Jesus is asking us to “Go and do likewise.”  Simply love God and love others!

He has shown you, O man, what is good;

And what does the Lord require of you

But to do justly,

To love mercy,

And to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:8