This blog is a part two. If you’ve not yet read yesterday’s blog, please do that first, then come back to this one.
“The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’
“Jesus replied with this story: ‘A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’ Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by the bandits?’ Jesus asked. The man replied, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Then Jesus said, ‘Yes, now go and do the same.’”
I don’t think the lawyer got the answer he anticipated. He presumably wanted something on the order of: “A neighbor (hereinafter referred to as the party of the first part) is to be construed as meaning a person of Jewish descent whose legal residence is within a radius of no more than three statute miles from one’s own legal residence unless there is another person of Jewish descent (hereinafter to be referred to as the part of the second part) living closer to the party of the first part than one is oneself, in which case the party of the second part is to be construed as neighbor to the party of the first part and oneself is relieved of all responsibility of any sort or kind whatsoever.” Instead Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan, the point of which is that your neighbor is to be construed as meaning anybody who needs you. The lawyer’s response is left unrecorded.
When Jesus tells us to love our neighbors, he is not telling us to respond to them with a cozy emotional feeling. He wants us to love them with our SELF; our true self, the self we discover when we begin to love God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind. Love from our real self is enormously powerful. In Jesus’ terms we can love our neighbors without necessarily liking them. In fact, liking them may stand in the way of loving them by making us overprotective sentimentalists instead of reasonably honest friends.
When Jesus talked to the Pharisees he didn’t say, “There, there. Everything’s going to be all right.” He said, “You brood of vipers! How can you speak good when you are evil!” And he said that to them because he loved them. This does not mean that liking may not be a part of loving; only that it doesn’t have to be. Sometimes liking follows on the heels of loving. It’s hard to work for somebody’s well-being very long without coming in the end to rather like him too.
Go to downtown Portland on a Thursday evening, under the Burnside Bridge, for a demonstration of neighbor-love. You will find a downtown church, helped by volunteers from the suburbs, caring for the homeless. They work together to provide food, conversation, haircuts, clean clothing, foot washing or showers, and simple human contact. It’s very powerful, but that ministry is only a small part of the many efforts aimed at helping the homeless, the abused, the mentally ill, the poor, the sick, and the hungry…efforts all over the Portland metro area. Liking isn’t even an issue…but loving is. You must answer the question, “And who is my neighbor?” daily, lest you miss the people God would put in your path.
Prayer: “Merciful Father, when I access my memory I am aware that I have been loved by many at critical times of my life. I am grateful for their compassion and steadiness. They neighbored me without thought of return. And now it’s my turn. The more I love you the more I am able to love others. Make the sight of my soul keen so that I do not miss those I might be able to help. Help me too, to be compassionate and patient, and take away any thought that I might accrue a return. In these remaining years of my life, help me to be your helping hands and heart. In Jesus’ name, amen.”