Who is our neighbor? What is real love, in action or just words? How to love our neighbor? The answer to the latter question is partly present in the Lawyer’s reply to Jesus, when Jesus asked him what is written in the law - love your neighbor as yourself (Luke 10:30-37). This question answer section occurred, when this lawyer approached Jesus with a question about how to attain eternal life. The lawyer answered correctly when he replied that it is all about love – love your God fully and love your neighbor just as you love yourself. We almost know how to love God. But what we always confuse who our neighbor is? Then what is the real love in action? Some people think that our neighbor is somebody who lives nearby. Yet another group of people think that their neighbor is somebody from whom they can get some help. A third group of people think that their neighbor is somebody, who belongs to their community or religion. Jesus words in Matthew 5:43 suggest the way Jews of Jesus time understood Leviticus 19:18, as who is their neighbor. The preceding commands in Leviticus use apparent synonyms for neighbor: prohibiting hating ones brother (Lev. 19:17) and holding a grudge against ones fellow Israelite (Lev.19:18). Most likely Jews of Jesus time thought it is ok to be angry with or hate someone who was not an Israelite, since he is not mentioned specifically as neighbor. Now Jesus wanted to teach the lawyer who should be his neighbor and the real love in action. This famous parable we all know. But the question is whether it touched our hearts and changed our lives? The story is about a priest, and then a Levite, going from Jerusalem to Jericho, saw a man, half dead lying on the road. Though both just finished their religious duties, they never connected their true religious obligation to the service of the wounded fellow human being, and so both moved off. Finally it was only a pagan who went by, took pity on this injured man, bandaged his wounds, and paid for his stay and recovery in an inn. Here Jesus teaches that, to every human being, who is in need, we should be a neighbor. Otherwise every human being is your neighbor, regardless of race or religion or color of the skin. In that moment of need, for that injured Jew, a pagan, that itself a Samaritan, became a neighbor to him. We should remember that for a Jew, a Samaritan is almost like an un-touchable, with whom Jews had few social interactions. By telling the lawyer “Go and do thou likewise”, Jesus turned the tables upside down. Now this Jew has to help and show mercy to the pagans also. This is an admonition to us also. Jesus is telling us to go and do, just like that Samaritan. Show mercy in abundance. God’s word says “judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13). Our true nature may think otherwise. It may be inconvenient to help others in need. We may be too busy to help at that moment or the person involved may be outside our community. We have a lot of barriers to tear down, when it is coming to true love in action. Don’t show partiality to people based on their richness. This is all the more deplorable, when this happens in a church assembly, as James accuses (James 2:1-4). Before God everybody is same regardless of financial status, race, language or color of the skin. It is also a warning to those rich and influential people, who seeks prominent seats in church gatherings and other social functions. Don’t forget that God had chosen mainly the poor in the spread of the gospel in the initial days of Christianity. James says “has not God chosen the poor of this world” to be “rich in faith” and to become the “heirs of the kingdom” of God, “which He has promised to them that love him” (James 2:5). It is usually the poorer segments of the society which readily accept the gospel. Christianity often has grown the fastest in places and periods of economic and social stress. After all, arent those individuals who are struggling with big issues in life more open to the hope presented in the gospel, than those who think that things are already going great for them? In conclusion, we should seriously think whether we consider every human being as our neighbor, regardless of the race, religion, language or color of the skin, even when he or she is poor and in shabby cloths. Remember, we all originated from the same parent. Bible says “From one man he made all the nations” (Acts 17:26). We should love this neighbor as we love ourselves. Finally this love should not be just in words, but in real action, helping them. Welcome to this page for more messages https://facebook/SomeTruthsThatYouShouldNotMiss
Posted on: Mon, 27 Oct 2014 14:43:17 +0000
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