Won't You Be My Neighbor

The Parable of the Good Samaritan found in Luke Chapter 10, verses 25-37 exemplifies what it means to be the kind of neighbor Jesus wants us to be:

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On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

 

“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

 

He answered, “‘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, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

 

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

 

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

 

In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.

 

A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.

 

So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

 

But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.

 

He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.

 

The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

 

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

 

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

 

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

 

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God’s Holy Word, the Bible, gives us a clear example of how to be the kind of neighbor we all want to have, and the kind of neighbor the Lord calls us to be, as we face this pandemic together, and as we return to a new normal going forward.

 

Let’s pray.

 

Dear Lord, Thank you for neighbors across our community who care for those around them by delivering meals, shopping for people at risk, using their skills to sew masks, donating to worthy causes, and showing up where they are needed. Give each of us the opportunity to be a neighborhood hero to someone in need. Amen.