Who Is My Neighbor?

Luke 10:29, 36-37(NKJV)

V. 29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And Who is my Neighbor?”

V. 36 So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among thieves?

V. 37 And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said, “Go and do likewise.”

In a world where people are seemingly becoming more cold and lacking mercy and compassion, there are still a lot of merciful and compassionate people.

Unfortunately, we mainly hear about the cold-hearted and selfish people a lot of times.

This is a wonderful story about someone who had compassion on another person who was not of his race, religion, or region.

The Jews and Samaritans did not get alone, the Jews looked down on the Samaritans.

The Samaritans had mixed with other races and were not considered to be Jews.

They had different religious practices, mixed lineage, lived in a different region, and cultural differences.

When was the last time we went out of our way to help someone of a different, religious, political, income bracket, or ethnicity.

This story is known as the “Good Samaritan”, but i will call it the “Compassionate Neighbor”.

Who is my Neighbor?

One of the greatest questions ever asked. Anyone who needs help and you are able to help them, is your neighbor.

I know we live in a dangerous world, where people are setting others up to hurt them, where people can take advantage of you constantly, take advantage of your compassionate heart.

I’m not talking about putting yourself or your family in danger, Jesus said be wise as a serpent but humble as a dove.

But we can go to the other extreme and lose compassion for others totally, we can become self-centered and selfish people, if we are not careful.

If you don’t feel comfortable helping individuals, there are many churches sponsored organizations, many parachurch organization, and charity organizations. We also have physical neighbors, co-workers, family members, and community groups.

Every day, there are horrific events that happen in our world, countries and cities that need our help.

So, who is our Neighbor? the person that needs help, who is neighborly, the person who helps them.

Sometimes, just a smile or kind gesture, sometimes a friendly and encouraging conversation can be helpful.

We all have people around us who need help, we can ignore it, or we can be a neighbor and help them.