Who Is My Neighbor?

Prayer of hope:

God of All,
I pray this day in hope for the world. I pray for the people of the nations, all of the people of the world. I pray that we would learn peace, tolerance, and justice. I pray that we would hold one another to your command, to love you and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Amen

Reading: Luke 10:25-37

25Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’ He answered, ‘You shall 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 your neighbor as yourself.’ And he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.’

But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’ Jesus replied, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, “Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.” Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’ He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’

Meditation:

Chances are, you’ve heard this story before. Even if you haven’t heard the story, you’ve heard the phrase “Good Samaritan.” It has become shorthand for the stranger who does a good deed. Preachers like to point out that this understanding does some disservice to the original story, because the identification of the Samaritan is oversimplified by it. Samaritans weren’t strangers to the folks listening to Jesus; they were the despised “other.” Generations of enmity had poisoned the relationship between Samaritans and Jews, who shared the same contested land which modern day Jews, Muslims and Christians share today—that troubled stretch on the far eastern edge of the Mediterranean.

Although our understanding of the phrase “Good Samaritan” does do away with the racial and ethnic undertones of this story, it does keep the emphasis squarely where Jesus seems to intend it. The lawyer wants to know how he can identify his “neighbor.” From the parable, it is clear that Jesus isn’t so much interested in how to identify the neighbor. He’s interested in how to be a neighbor. The neighbor is the one who shows mercy. And neighbor-ness is a two way street. We become neighbors by showing mercy to one another.

-->Can you imagine a world in which we all try to be neighbors to one another, by Jesus’ definition? How might the world change if we tried to “outdo one another in showing mercy?”

-->Spend some time meditating on the two sides of being a neighbor. How can you show mercy? And how can you receive the mercy of others?

Prayer of healing:

Comforting Spirit,
You know the places in my life in which there is pain. You know my deepest fears, and my greatest joys. Lay your presence upon me like a blanket. Help me to know that you are with me. Help me to turn to you in moments of pain and fear. I give you thanks for the wholeness which is possible in knowing you. Amen