April 18, 2025
"Who is my neighbor?"
Read: Judges 5,6; Psalm 108; Luke 10:25-42
Scripture: Luke 10: 29 But he (an expert in the law) wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Observation: Here, we see the underlying question that Jesus answered through the parable of the good Samaritan. The expert of the Law knew about who his God was. However, as a Jew, he may have struggled to understand the word "neighbor." Since the word "neighbor" does not point to a particular person, people may think it is ambiguous. In those days, even within the Jewish community, there were divisions and infights based on their beliefs. So, loving a fellow Jew itself had a lot of connotations.
In this context, Jesus helped an expert of the Law in a simple but powerful way to understand "who might be a neighbor?" through the parable of the Good Samaritan. A man, most likely a Jew, was severely beaten up by the robbers as he was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. However, a priest and a Levite who had a high reputation among the Jews were not willing to help him. Instead of helping the man, they simply "passed by on the other side." But, a Samaritan, who was from a community that Jews hated and considered as low, showed mercy to the wounded man. His act of kindness went beyond the social norms of the day. Jesus conveyed a clear message that helped the expert of the Law to understand the answer to his question.
The important thing here is not about understanding "who might be our neighbor." Instead, we need to show kindness to our neighbor, like the good Samaritan. Let us remember: this is something that we must do to inherit eternal life.
Application: Many Christians are ready to do anything for the Lord. However, many of them do not show similar enthusiasm for loving and helping others. They may have their own reasons for that. However, Jesus is the Good Samaritan. The message of the Good Samaritan story is that I should be a good Samaritan to the people in need. Without any partiality and discrimination, I need to show love to others just as I love myself. Irrespective of religion, race, caste, gender, and color, I should show the love of God to all people. Other than me, all the others are my neighbors.
Prayer: Jesus, thank you for helping me to understand who my neighbor is and what I should do to him/her. Loving Lord, help me to show Christly love to my neighbors. Amen.
✍️: Arputharaj Samuel
📕: Quiet Time Companion
🗓️ Day – 108