Even though the National Day Calendar has passed, it’s never too late to practice this. May 16th was National Do Something Good For Your Neighbor Day. The day has been celebrated since 2009, and its founder has been honored by both Presidents Trump and Obama. It’s just a simple reminder to do what we ought to be doing anyway.
Things sure have changed over the years. When I was a kid, you knew your neighbors by name. Of course, living in the country, most farmed and farmers naturally knew each other. You waved to each other as you passed on the road. You talked with each other at the elevator. Occasionally, you would stop to say hello. Garden products were shared. If there was a storm, you rushed to help those neighbors. In the winter, those who had the bigger equipment cleaned most of the driveways free of charge. That’s just the way it was.
Today, we would be doing good if we could name half of our neighbors. I confess that I only know those on the opposing corner, the one neighbor remaining from my childhood, and a couple of others. We’ve become a more reclusive, withdrawn society, focusing on those right before our eyes and in arm’s reach.
These last two paragraphs also highlight the error of our understanding, at least from a Biblical perspective. Jesus dealt with this in Luke 10:25-29. “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?”
From here, the Lord goes on to tell the story that we call The Good Samaritan. According to one commentator, the lawyer’s question reflected the “The prevailing opinion among scribes and Pharisees … 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… 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.”
The answer to “who is my neighbor” is not those in close geographical proximity. My “neighbor” is anyone God puts in my path. I am called upon by God to love them, do good for them, and to show them the love of Christ. But there’s more to the story that’s often missed.
First, the story wasn’t intended to show the lawyer how to be saved. Just do good to everyone and you’ll go to Heaven. That’s the philosophy of many religions today. Jesus used this to show the incapability we have of perfectly keeping this teaching. At the beginning of this conversation, the lawyer revealed his heart. He thought he had loved the Lord and his neighbor adequately enough to grant salvation. The Lord used the story to show that we all are incapable of perfectly fulfilling the Lord’s requirements. Therefore, we need grace and mercy.
Second, the story puts the onus on the lawyer. YOU have the responsibility to show yourself a neighbor. Jesus essentially asks, “To whom do you prove yourself to be a neighbor?”
Today, try to reach out to one unknown neighbor and show yourself friendly. Maybe you say, “But I don’t know what to do?” Yes, we actually do know what to do. Ephesians 5:29 says, “For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it…” How do you love you? Answer that and you’ll know what to do for someone else.
“My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:18)
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