DAY 74 of #100daysofJesus

 DAY 74 of #100daysofJesus

Who is your neighbor?

Jesus answered the question, "Who is my neighbor?" with what is famously known as the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

While a man, presumably a Jew, was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho, he was attacked by thieves, robbed, and left for dead.

In the parable, a priest happens to be walking through, "and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side" without any attempt to help the man.

Next, a Levite came and also "passed by on the other side" after he "looked on him."

I'm sure these men were both busy, in a hurry to get to their destination, and maybe even feeling unsafe lingering in an area where thieves could still be nearby; however, these were supposed to be men of God with a special responsibility to look out for others. Neither was willing.

The third traveler was a Samaritan who "as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him."

The first startling element here is that the man was a Samaritan. The Samaritans and the Jews did not get along, and the audience of Jesus' parable would have likely felt contempt for Samaritans.

Not only did the Samaritan save his life, but he went beyond that: "and on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host [of the inn], and said unto him, take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee."

So to answer the original question, who in this parable was neighbor to the man who fell among thieves?

The obvious answer was given: "He that showed mercy on him."

Jesus then concludes his teaching with the words, "Go and do thou likewise." I believe that command applies to all of us.

We have a Christian responsibility to look out for one another, including our brothers and sisters who are not Christians.

I'm as guilty as anyone else of packing my days so full and feeling so busy that I act as the Levite or priest, ignoring or avoiding inconvenient opportunities to serve.

But I am trying to be a better neighbor. I want to have a "Good Samaritan" mindset with a greater awareness of the needs of those around me and a greater willingness to put my own agenda aside to serve those in need.

I believe that as we are willing to act the part of Jesus' disciples, God will put people in our paths to lift and serve.

The late prophet Spencer W Kimball famously said, "God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs."

If we pray and look for these opportunities, we will receive them. I believe this is the spirit of Christmas, the core of Christian living, and the hallmark of Christian discipleship.

Jesus taught, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

Let us each be a Good Samaritan, lifting and serving those we find in our path, regardless of perceived differences, because we love God and our neighbor.

(Luke 10:25-37, Matthew 25:40)