Same

Luke 10:29-37 (The Message)

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."

A good, fair question...isn't it? Just how do you define neighbor?

Well, it's the person who lives nearest to your property. You know, the one with the loud dog.

Or maybe it's the person in the row behind you in worship on Sunday morning. You know, the one with the loud baby.

Maybe our neighbors are people that we've chosen to have positive relationships with.

Maybe they're our friends...the people we like. Or maybe, they're the people we respect and don't mind "dealing with."

Or maybe, our neighbor is the very last person with whom we'd ever be willing to associate.

Jesus' story is amazing. The "religious" pass by the one who hurts and is in need. A priest. A Levite.

Who has compassion? Who stops their schedule dead in its tracks? Who picks up the tab, leaving their mastercard on file at the hotel?

The Samaritan.

This is not really a parable about "being neighborly," nearly so much as it is about who can be a neighbor.

A Samaritan.

It's a long story. But Old Testament history and generations of bitterness, racism and segregation separated this "religion scholar" from Samaritans.

I'm not sure that our modern society even has a corollary for the kind of outright resentment, hostility, and enmity the Jews felt for the Samaritans. Peace has been a long time coming in the Middle East.

But that Samaritan had a heart that was moved. He was a human being who saw another human being in pain, and acted.

He was a neighbor.

The illegal immigrant. The muslim. The frightening. The addicted. The abandoned. The Samaritan.

"Go be like the Samaritan," Jesus says.

We're all neighbors, one and the same.

Prayer: We are afraid of each other. We are busy. We have limited resources. We have so many reasons not to risk ourselves as neighbors to one another. Father, we pray that today you would begin to take away our prejudices and show us your way.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. World without end. Amen.