The Journey Continues: Who is my neighbor?
My journey this week takes me to the subject of neighbors. In the Gospel of Luke, a man asked our Lord, Jesus Christ, this question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replied, “What is written in the Law?” and “How do you read it?”
The man replied with the right answer: “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 Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Later, to justify himself, the man asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied with the Parable of the Good Samaritan: the outline of the parable told that two Jewish religious men walked by a wounded man on the side of the road without stopping to help. Then, a Samaritan (not culturally-accepted by the Jewish people — Samaritans were of mixed race and background) saw the wounded man but stopped and gave full assistance to him.
Jesus ended his talk with a question: “Who was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the Law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him. “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:25-37)
In this parable, we are told that to receive eternal life, we must love both God and neighbor, and that doesn’t just mean the people next door. Anybody in need is your neighbor.
Kenneth L. Hall, a past president of Buckner International, wrote, “Inside Outside, The Church in Social Ministry” and I quote him: “What ultimately will make people want to give their hearts to Christ and want to be a part of a local church? It will be the awareness that they have been seen in their need and have been extended an acceptance of grace,” and he goes on to remind us that is the heart of the Gospel message.
Recently, I have had several trips to the VA Clinic in Austin and four trips to MD Anderson Hospital in Houston seeking a diagnosis for my illness. I had to lay my health at the Cross; and practice my faith. My church family and friends have prayed for and encouraged me.
Throughout the weeks of my illness, my next-door neighbors recognized my need and brought to life the parable through the love they have extended to me. They have swept my walkway of fallen leaves to clear my path to the car; they have provided snack foods to carry with us to Houston; they have brought over ready-to-eat meals; they repaired my space heater; helped with engineering expertise to install a replacement washing machine; they saw that my trash receptacles were on the curb for trash day pick-ups; they have made 60 breakfast tacos for the homeless so Judy didn’t have to get up early to do this task; they have asked about my visits and prayed with my wife. These good neighbors are Rusty and Kathy Dunham. Truly they have extended grace because they saw my need.
