Thursday, December 08, 2005

Who is my Neighbor

Mathew 5:43-48
"43. "You have heard that it was said, `YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.'
44. "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45. so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
46. "For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
47. "If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
48. "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. "


I know we have all have heard this before but I was thinking about this tonight. So who is Jesus talking about when He says “Love your neighbor” So who is my neighbor according the text of scriptures above? Are neighbor is anyone who is in need that we may come across in our daily life. Proverbs 25:21 if your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; and if he thirsty, give him water to drink. Jesus also teaches this concept in the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

Luke 10 29-37
29. But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
30. 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.
31. "And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32. "Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
33. "But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw
him, he felt compassion,
34. 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.
35. "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.'
36. "Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers' hands?"
37. And he said, "The one who showed mercy toward him." Then Jesus said to
him, "Go and do the same."

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