I remember how my heart broke some years ago during a home school ice skating trip, when one of my children asked a young girl her age if she would like to be her friend. Her response was childishly insensitive: “I’ll think about it” as she skated away leaving her in the cold. I can still see the hurt in my daughter’s eyes. Wanting friends is natural; making them, however, doesn’t always come easily. We then began to teach our children to place a greater emphasis on being a friend, rather than finding one. A man that hath friends must show himself friendly… (Proverbs 18:24). In the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10), it appears that Jesus was teaching the same thing.
Willing to justify himself, (the lawyer) said unto Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29) The lawyer who came to Jesus seeking the path to eternal life appeared to already have the answer to his question. He came to test Jesus, to see whether or not Jesus agreed with him. Of course, he knew who his neighbors were. They were the people whom he decided were worthy of his love: fellow Jews, close friends and family, respected members of society. He also knew which ones weren’t: Gentiles, publicans, prostitutes, and sinners. Jesus’ answer revealed that not only was his answer wrong, but even more so was his question. It was self-centered and judgmental. No doubt, like many of us, he was of the opinion that in order to love my neighbor as myself, I need to learn to love myself first, but that’s not what Jesus was saying. Jesus knew that most of us are too much in love with ourselves already - so much so, that we have trouble extending that love beyond the borders of our own selfish interests. With some exceptions, the problem is not learning to love myself better, but learning to forget myself, so that I can love others the way I, myself would want to be loved… the way God loves me.
James calls it The Royal Law (James 2:8). We know it as The Golden Rule. And rightly so, for to love like that is both the highest (royal) and richest (golden) way to live. To love others as I love myself would be to love others just as they are. It would be to value them as those created in the image of God without considering race, ethnicity, social status or whether I agree with their lifestyle or not. It would be to minister to them in their need and do my best to contribute to their full restoration. It would be to love unconditionally. That’s how I would want to be loved if I were in their shoes.
The Samaritan in Christ’s story saw more than a man in need; he saw himself lying there. Not only did he give him his oil and wine, his mule and his bed, his time and his money; but simply put, he gave him himself. The Priest and Levite loved themselves too much, the Samaritan loved his neighbor as himself. How ironic: a Samaritan whom they would never consider to be their neighbor, became neighbor to the man they left wounded and dying in a pool of his own blood.
Jesus’ heroes are often the last people you’d expect.
Lest we think that Jesus was implying that we could somehow earn our salvation by doing good, we need to understand that the Law’s requirements were impossible to fulfill in our own strength. To truly love God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind, and to love our neighbor as ourselves, can only be accomplished by the grace of God and a revelation of Himself. We must become channels of His love by yielding ourselves to Him. It’s only as we dwell upon God’s love for us, that we can ever begin to feel the compassion that He has for all mankind. That’s why the two greatest commandments hang together.
A common misconception is that loving others requires neglecting ourselves for their sake. Many in our day suffer from self-loathing and destructive behavior. A healthy, biblical self-image comes through a revelation of God’s love as demonstrated on Calvary. It comes by believing in the value He places on our lives. Only as we walk in the consciousness of God’s love, can we be free to truly esteem others better than ourselves. (Phil. 2:3)
By the way, to be true to the facts, my daughter informed me that my opening story didn’t exactly play itself out the way I remembered it. (My recollection was evidently influenced by a father’s love). Either way, the lesson remains the same. The right question isn’t “who is my neighbor?” but rather, “How can I be a neighbor to someone today?” Or as Fred Rodgers so aptly posed the question at the end of his song, “…Won’t you be my neighbor?”
Prayer: Dear Lord, please open my eyes and my heart to see those around me who need to experience Your love through me today.
