It was a custom that no man coming into your camp went away hungry, be he friend, stranger, or peaceful enemy. You could fight after you ate, if that was your mission.”
–Bobby Cavazos (The Cowboy From the Wild Horse Desert)
“And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.”
“And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.”
–Luke 6:31 (NKJV)
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“‘So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?’ And he said, ‘He who showed mercy on him.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.'”
–Luke 10:36-37 (NKJV)
We finish up this parable with a question by Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” From this passage on the Good Samaritan, Gary Inrig says, “My neighbor is that person who is in need, whose need I see, whose need I can meet.” He may be a friend, a stranger, or even an enemy, but if he has a need and I can help, he is my neighbor. Inrig goes on to say, “Our need isn’t to define who our neighbor is, but to care for him.”
A question that is also implied is, “Who became a neighbor?” The teacher of the law, because of the Jewish hatred of the Samaritan cannot bring himself to say that the neighbor was “the Samaritan” so answers, “the one who had mercy on him.” We need to become that person who cannot pass by on the other side. All three men saw the same condition of the man, but only one took the time, took action, and had compassion.
How do you love your neighbor then? By sacrificial action. The two men who passed by on the other side showed the lack of compassion which in turn was a symptom of a deeper lack. We need to be willing to become involved in the needs of others.
But, wait a minute. How can I help everyone who has a need? You can’t. What about the scammers? Those “homeless” on the street corners begging; are they bums, panhandlers, or truly in need? We are to be good stewards, and we need to check out the situation, but we cannot use that as an excuse. Listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and use wisdom. I almost never give money, but I will put gas in a car, I will buy a meal. I know that some give something to whomever they see; if that is what the Spirit is saying, then do so. If you feel you should help–then help. Will you get “burned”? Yes, but follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.
William Barclay says this regarding the genuine neighbor:
1) We must help a man even when he has brought his trouble on himself, as the traveller had done.
2) Any man of any nation who is in need is our neighbour. Our help must be as wide as the love of God. (And let me incorporate here, no nation in the world has been as benevolent as the United States, even to fallen enemies.)
3) The help must be practical and not consist merely in feeling sorry. Compassion, to be real, must issue in deeds.
The great reformer, Martin Luther stated, “Faith alone justifies, yet faith is never alone. It is never without love; if love is lacking, neither is there faith, but mere hypocrisy.”
—————————————
“‘So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?’ And he said, ‘He who showed mercy on him.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.'”
–Luke 10:36-37 (NKJV)
We finish up this parable with a question by Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” From this passage on the Good Samaritan, Gary Inrig says, “My neighbor is that person who is in need, whose need I see, whose need I can meet.” He may be a friend, a stranger, or even an enemy, but if he has a need and I can help, he is my neighbor. Inrig goes on to say, “Our need isn’t to define who our neighbor is, but to care for him.”
A question that is also implied is, “Who became a neighbor?” The teacher of the law, because of the Jewish hatred of the Samaritan cannot bring himself to say that the neighbor was “the Samaritan” so answers, “the one who had mercy on him.” We need to become that person who cannot pass by on the other side. All three men saw the same condition of the man, but only one took the time, took action, and had compassion.
How do you love your neighbor then? By sacrificial action. The two men who passed by on the other side showed the lack of compassion which in turn was a symptom of a deeper lack. We need to be willing to become involved in the needs of others.
But, wait a minute. How can I help everyone who has a need? You can’t. What about the scammers? Those “homeless” on the street corners begging; are they bums, panhandlers, or truly in need? We are to be good stewards, and we need to check out the situation, but we cannot use that as an excuse. Listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and use wisdom. I almost never give money, but I will put gas in a car, I will buy a meal. I know that some give something to whomever they see; if that is what the Spirit is saying, then do so. If you feel you should help–then help. Will you get “burned”? Yes, but follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.
William Barclay says this regarding the genuine neighbor:
1) We must help a man even when he has brought his trouble on himself, as the traveller had done.
2) Any man of any nation who is in need is our neighbour. Our help must be as wide as the love of God. (And let me incorporate here, no nation in the world has been as benevolent as the United States, even to fallen enemies.)
3) The help must be practical and not consist merely in feeling sorry. Compassion, to be real, must issue in deeds.
The great reformer, Martin Luther stated, “Faith alone justifies, yet faith is never alone. It is never without love; if love is lacking, neither is there faith, but mere hypocrisy.”