And he answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God will all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.’
And He said to him, ‘You have answered correctly, do this and you will live.’
But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’
(Luke 10:27-29)
In Jesus’ story of the Good Samaritan, He tells of a Samaritan man coming to the rescue of a man who had been beaten, robbed, and left for dead. The cultural norms of that day would have kept many Samaritans from showing compassion. Rampant prejudice between Samaritans and Jews had undoubtedly led to hurt and bitterness towards each other, and no one would have blamed him for crossing to the other side of the street. In fact, even the Jewish priest and Levite refrained from helping, unwilling to risk harm or inconvenience.
But that’s not what the Samaritan did. This man had deep, heartfelt compassion, treating the one most would regard as his enemy with the kindness he’d use towards a friend. He went above and beyond, willing even to suffer personal loss as a result. And in doing so, he proved to be a true neighbor to this man.
I notice that Jesus told this story in response to one of listeners, who “wishing to justify himself, asked ‘And who is my neighbor?’” He had been commanded to love his neighbor as himself, and his first thought was to determine just who was deserving of this love.
But the story that followed highlights an important point: there is no place for us to make those kinds of distinctions. We are to love our neighbors – those who have hurt us, those we’re prejudiced against, those who are despised by our culture – and we are to love them generously.
Now, we all know this in theory, but how often do we do exactly the same as this listener?
How often do we seek to find loopholes in who, when, and how we are called to love? Maybe we justify speaking against someone because they’ve hurt us first. Or maybe we lack empathy towards others who have different views from our own, or to those we don’t deem worthy of our attention. Or maybe we prioritize our own desires over someone’s needs.
But we were called to put God and His kingdom first – above our pride, our wounded feelings, our comforts, and our rights. If we do not, we become like this man, asking ‘And who is our neighbor?’ We become people who act as though love is in short supply, as though we must guard it and spend it only when necessary.
But the love we’ve received from God, wholly undeserved and wholly infinite, is the well from which we draw. And if God grants us continual access to this love, and commands us to take from it and give to others, we have no reason to disobey.
We will never be able to love others too much or give too much of ourselves; whenever we think we’ve reached our limit, God pours His abundant love, power, and strength back into us and remedies our lack.
I’d encourage all of us – myself so much included – to start “testing the limits” of this love. To see just how much of it we can offer to others, and to watch God provide. Let’s be a people who give so generously, without any regard for ourselves, secure in the love that has been given to us.
Between this story and the countless mercies of God towards us, it seems that our blueprint for generosity is much more radical than we often allow it to be. There is no place for us to decide who is and isn’t deserving of our kindness; we are called to love and forgive sacrificially, and the only way to do so is by the power of God.
Related Scripture
Luke 10:30-37
“Jesus replied and said, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’ Which of these three do you think provided to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?’ And he said, ‘The one who showed mercy toward him.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do the same.’”
Matthew 25:37
“Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give you something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You? The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.”
Psalm 86:15
“But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.”
Micah 6:8
“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
The Girl that Jesus Loved 