Pastor's Corner: Who is your neighbor?

Once Jesus was asked what one must do to inherit eternal life (Luke 10:25-37). Jesus turned the question around and asked what that person thought the scriptures said. He responded that we are to love God with our entire being (body, soul, and spirit) and love our neighbor as we love ourself. Jesus told him he was correct and that this summed up everything the law encompasses. But, not quite satisfied, the person then asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?”

Personally, I wonder did he really not know who his neighbor was? Or, was this a truly honest question?

If he didn’t know, and it was an honest question, then he must have believed there were some people who could be left out — excluded — from “neighbor” status. I wonder, what do we as followers of Jesus think today?

In this story that Jesus tells, there were several people who felt justified to walk on the other side of the road, to not recognize a neighbor in need. The person who finally stepped up to offer help was someone from the “outside,” not a person of similar background or faith practice.

How many of us choose everyday to not “see” a neighbor in need because they are “different” from us? Let’s run down our mental check list to categorize the differences so we can justify our not offering help to someone in need: they are not white (any of the Native American tribes in our area), they dress differently (Hutterites and Mennonites), they are not followers of Jesus (Muslims and Jews), they might be of a different political persuasion and might support, or not support, someone or something we don’t agree with.

What might you add to this list? We can cook up any number of excuses for not helping our neighbor. We each need to examine our own inward barriers that keep us from being a “Good Samaritan” to anyone and everyone who is in need, because they are all our neighbors. This idea may not sit well with some of you, but I’m okay with that because this is Jesus’ story, not mine.

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Pastor Linda Webster, Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, Rocky Boy’s Agency