Jesus says to love your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 22:39). In one passage (Luke 10:25-37), an audience member* immediately asks 'who is my neighbor?', intending to bound God's commands to only a portion of the population. Jesus responds with the parable of the good Samaritan, who cared for a stranger in need encountered on the road after two others (a priest and a Levite) passed him by. Samaritans were enemies of the Jews; by using that example, Jesus was making a few points:
- Your neighbor is everyone. Friend and stranger, those nearby and those afar.
- The priest and Levite were set aside to serve God, yet they failed in their most basic responsibilities.
- The enemy (a Samaritan) did the right thing, which shows both common grace and that our enemies can teach/humble us.
- The Samaritan's love showed mercy, compassion, had no desire for compensation, and was personally costly. Key attributes of love.
A friend posted the below on facebook the other day, and I think it summarizes Jesus' point in this passage nicely:
The bar is high. How can we do this? Only through Jesus, for 'with men it is impossible, but with God all things are possible' (Matthew 19:26). In Jesus we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28), and without Him we can do nothing (John 15:5). We can thus love others, be they neighbors, family, fellow church members, or even enemies (Matthew 5:43-48). And it is that last category that shows we both walk with God and understand God's love for us—for he who loves much recognizes that they have been forgiven much (see Luke 7:47).
* a lawyer, perhaps unsurprisingly
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