Luke 10:29 - Who is my Neighbor?

 Luke 10:29 (ESV)

But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

A lawyer, an expert in the law, asked Jesus what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus responded, “What is written in the Law?” The man’s response was correct, the law indicates that we are to love God and love our neighbor. But then came the question of verse 29, “Who is my neighbor?” Isn’t that just like a lawyer? What does the word neighbor mean? Who do I need to love and who do I not need to love? But then again, isn’t that just like us?

That’s the problem with the law. There is always a way around it. There are always exceptions. But Jesus doesn’t leave room for exceptions. He tells the story of the Good Samaritan in response to the man’s question. The good guy in the story is the one person his audience would absolutely reject. The one’s who neglected to help the man who had been robbed, beaten, and left for dead were the ones Jesus’ audience would have held in respect, even reverence.

Jesus asked, “Who proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers.” The man responded, “The one who showed him mercy,” to which Jesus replied, “You go, and do likewise.” Who is our neighbor? It is anyone in need that comes across our path. It is anyone that God places in our way. There is no way around this, Jesus expects us to love even the most unlovable. He expects us to love even the most despicable. The fearful and hateful rhetoric I hear from believers grieves me. Aren’t we called to love even our enemies? Which makes our enemies our neighbors in Jesus’ eyes. Who is God calling you to love today, and what should that look like?