Do you love your neighbors? One of my good friends had a neighbor who regularly cursed him and called the police to report him for things which bothered her. You can imagine that such behavior would wear thin over time. Exactly what does Jesus mean by saying we should love our neighbors?
One expert in the Jewish law asked Jesus how he could inherit eternal life. Jesus told him to love his neighbor as himself. This man wanted to justify himself (don’t we all), so he asked for the exact boundaries of the word neighbor. By telling the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus did not tell him who his neighbor was, but how to be a neighbor. The priest and Levite in the story refused compassion to a man who had been beaten, robbed and left for dead. But the Samaritan who would have been widely despised in ancient Judea took action, going above and beyond in his care for the wounded man.
My friend whose neighbor cursed him had a better plan. Instead of fighting fire with fire, he fought hatred with love. He blessed her when she cursed him. Later when she needed cancer treatment, she asked him to drive her to the hospital some forty miles away. He did. Every day. For months. When we love those who are hateful to us we are most like Christ. Join us at Tallowood in our initiative to pray for our neighbors. Then help us Serve the City on April 16. God has something great planned for our neighbors. Are we in?
