“Like a good neighbor…” We can instantly finish the jingle, can’t we? “State Farm is there.” Today is National Good Neighbor Day. It’s not about an insurance company. It’s about the concept that we are supposed to be good neighbors. While the concept is wonderful, it seems highly outdated since most of us don’t even know our neighbors.
As a kid growing up in the neighborhood, I knew everyone in the four-mile block of our home and many beyond that. The people who lived in those homes have long since died but I still associate the property with that person. Today, I have absolutely no clue who lives there.
Good neighbors and neighborliness are something that seems outdated and antiquated – which is unfortunate. We are busy people and have become increasingly isolated from others, especially since the COVID crackdowns of 2020. Though I don’t know many of my neighbors (and that’s on me!), the ones I do know are genuinely good neighbors of the caliber of those from the past.
One such neighbor has been a blessing ever since my hip replacement four years ago and then my surgery a year ago in April. He volunteered to mow my yard and refused to take anything for it. When we’ve gone on mission trips, he has done the same thing despite my efforts to pay for his services. His response: this is what neighbors do. 
His kindness is appreciated beyond words!
Another neighbor feeds the cats when we are gone. We’ve been there to shoot stray and sick critters that have crept into her yard or to watch for packages or strangers that might show up. The favor is returned. Anytime there are power outages or internet issues, this neighbor is the first one you call to see if they are experiencing the same thing.
Another neighbor just about breaks his arm waving whenever I go by and especially when we are out mowing at the same time. I’ve enjoyed just sitting and talking with him and if ever there was a need, we would be there for the other person.
One day, the Lord was having a discussion with a lawyer that’s recorded in Luke 10:25-29. This wasn’t our modern type of lawyers. The New Testament lawyer was one who judiciously acted upon the law of Moses. Here’s how the conversation began.
“And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? (26) He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? (27) And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. (28) And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. (29) But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
One Bible commentator gives great insight on this passage. “The prevailing opinion among scribes and Pharisees was that one’s neighbors were the righteous alone. According to them, the wicked—including rank sinners (such as tax collectors and prostitutes), Gentiles, and especially Samaritans—were to be hated because they were the enemies of God. They cited Psalm 139:21-22 to justify their position. As that passage suggests, hatred of evil is the natural corollary of loving righteousness. But the truly righteous person’s “hatred” for sinners is not a malevolent enmity. It is a righteous abhorrence of all that is base and corrupt—not a spiteful, personal loathing of individuals. Godly hatred is marked by a broken-hearted grieving over the condition of the sinner. And as Jesus taught here and elsewhere (Luke 6:27-36; Matthew 5:44-48), it is also tempered by a genuine love. The Pharisees had elevated hostility toward the wicked to the status of a virtue, in effect nullifying the second 
Great Commandment. Jesus’ answer to this lawyer demolished the pharisaical excuse for hating one’s enemies.”1
If we remember the Scriptures that follow, we are given a parable about the Good Samaritan. If your memory needs refreshed, go back and read the passage. Otherwise, consider the final verses of the story and “go and do thou likewise.” Be a good neighbor.
Luke 10:36-37 “Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? (37) And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.”
1MacArthur Commentary online
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