Who Is Your Neighbor?

Some people are blessed with great neighbors. People you trust, like, and get along with. Neighbors who you can borrow sugar from or who you trust to watch your house and water your plants when you go on summer vacation. But other people have what is commonly referred to as neighbors from hell. There are even webpages and social media profiles dedicated to highlighting terrible neighbors. Ones who complain, throw garbage over the fence into your backyard, or report you to the HOA or police because your music was a notch too loud, or you picked the wrong color for your fence.

The context of the verses above describes what makes a person a good neighbor. It isn't just proximity or familiarity with people. No, being a good neighbor is shown in how we actually treat people, even people who we may have nothing in common with or who might otherwise be thought of as enemies. Maybe this is a person who has opposite political views than you, or very different values and cultural backgrounds. Yet still, Jesus teaches us that a valuable form of agape love is to treat people with honor, not because they have earned it, but because you choose to be an honorable person.

In the parable of the good Samaritan. The priest and Levite would have been expected under the law to render aid, yet they passed by. It was the Samaritan who, under no obligation or compulsion, helped the man and showed incredible generosity. Jesus was making a strong point here about agape love. It is a choice. Not a duty or expectation, but an act of will based on internal convictions, not external obligations. We don't have to love people; we get to love people. And if you have the right heart and the right spirit, one aligned with the Father, you'll want to help others in this same way. You'll grow to see all people as your neighbors, deserving of your respect, instead of finding ways to exclude people from that neighbor list.

This is also what Jesus is hinting at when he tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. He knew this would become a reality very soon when religious leaders, and later the Romans, turned against the early church in horrible ways. It would be a difficult thing to love and pray for people who were arresting you, slandering you, and feeding your loved ones to lions. To love your enemies is something that a person cannot truly do in their own power, and Jesus knew this. They would need the Holy Spirit to truly live this out. They would need a power beyond their own. Even today, we cannot live out what God had in mind in our own strength and ability.

So, back to the parable…which one are you? Do you try to avoid getting your hands dirty? Or do you go out of your way to display love to others, even those who might not be your friends? If this is an area you have failed in the past, there is good news. Tomorrow is a new day, with new opportunities to be a good neighbor.