Whose Neighbor Are You?
By J.B. Hixson, Ph.D.
09/01/2022
“So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” (Luke 10:36)
On July 3, 1988, the navy cruiser USS Vincennes shot down an Iranian jetliner with 290 civilians aboard. There were no survivors. It was a tragic mistake. The ship's captain mistakenly thought they were under attack by an F-14 Iranian fighter jet. Following the incident public opinion polls in America showed that most Americans opposed paying compensation to the victim's families. The cruel treatment of American hostages in Iran was still fresh in many minds. But contrary to public opinion polls President Reagan approved paying compensation. At a news conference later that week, reporters asked the President if such payment would send the wrong signal. In typical Reagan fashion, the President responded with a potent one-liner, “I don't ever find compassion to be a bad precedent.”
What signal are you sending? For many people, the principle of revenge is much simpler and easier to practice. It comes naturally. But Christ on the other hand modeled compassion throughout His earthly ministry, including the supreme example of compassion: Calvary. Christ had a deep love for the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of others regardless of how they treated Him and regardless of their reputation. Christ simply cared about others. The signal He sent was a signal of compassion. Being moved by compassion always sends the right signal.
What signal are you sending as the world looks on and carefully takes note of your behavior? What signal are you sending, Christian? What signal are you sending, parent? In a world plagued by self-centered, uncaring attitudes, a show of compassion goes a long way. In Luke chapter 10, Jesus confronts a well-respected, well-educated man who in many respects was no different than some Christians today. He was familiar with the Bible. He worshipped regularly. He talked a good talk and walked a pretty good walk. But when it came to having compassion for others he was sending the wrong signal.
The man was a learned Jewish lawyer. He posed the most important question a person can ever ask: What shall I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus answered the question with a question of His own. In essence, Jesus said, “What do you think?” Whereupon the lawyer recites the Great Commandment, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus affirms the man's answer and says, “Do this and you will live.” What Jesus meant was this: If you can truly say that you have perfectly kept this commandment then you qualify to enter heaven because the standard for entering heaven is perfect righteousness.
The lawyer's next statement indicates that he thought he had the first part of the Great Commandment down pat. He thought he met the standard when it came to loving God. But he needed a little clarification about the “love your neighbor” part. Luke tells us that the lawyer was “trying to justify himself.” To be justified means to be righteous enough to enter heaven. In other words, this lawyer still did not get the point of Jesus' statement “do this and you will live.” He was focused on “doing” things that would qualify him for heaven. That is why his original question was “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Since he was under the impression that loving your neighbor and loving God was all it took, and since he felt he already loved God sufficiently, he wanted to know more about the “love your neighbor” requirement. So, he asks, “Who is my neighbor, anyway?”
What an indictment of his self-centered and pompous attitude! God forbid that he should accidentally show compassion or love toward someone who was not his neighbor! His question was really an attempt to limit who his neighbor might be. In Jesus' day, as well as today, there was a category of “non-neighbor,” which included those from other racial, ethnic, religious, or socioeconomic groups. The lawyer was seeking approval for this unloving concept. Jesus answers the lawyer's last question by telling the famous parable of the Good Samaritan.
You know the story well, I am sure, but what you may not notice at first pass is that by the end of the story, Jesus had turned the question around on the lawyer. The lawyer had asked, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus ends up asking, essentially, “Whose neighbor are you?” A good neighbor shows compassion to others regardless of the circumstance, situation, inconvenience, etc. The lawyer was unwilling to be a good neighbor.
We do not know what ultimately happened to the lawyer, but one thing is certain, if he continued to seek justification through his own efforts, he is spending eternity in hell. The only way to be justified is by faith. (Rom. 5:1) The righteousness that God's righteousness requires is the righteousness that only Christ can give. And He gives it free of charge to all who trust Him in simple faith for it. The question posed to the lawyer is a good question to ask ourselves as we seek to impact those around us with the message of the Gospel. Whose neighbor are you? What signal are you sending? Are you being a compassionate neighbor to those in need?
09/01/2022
“So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” (Luke 10:36)
On July 3, 1988, the navy cruiser USS Vincennes shot down an Iranian jetliner with 290 civilians aboard. There were no survivors. It was a tragic mistake. The ship's captain mistakenly thought they were under attack by an F-14 Iranian fighter jet. Following the incident public opinion polls in America showed that most Americans opposed paying compensation to the victim's families. The cruel treatment of American hostages in Iran was still fresh in many minds. But contrary to public opinion polls President Reagan approved paying compensation. At a news conference later that week, reporters asked the President if such payment would send the wrong signal. In typical Reagan fashion, the President responded with a potent one-liner, “I don't ever find compassion to be a bad precedent.”
What signal are you sending? For many people, the principle of revenge is much simpler and easier to practice. It comes naturally. But Christ on the other hand modeled compassion throughout His earthly ministry, including the supreme example of compassion: Calvary. Christ had a deep love for the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of others regardless of how they treated Him and regardless of their reputation. Christ simply cared about others. The signal He sent was a signal of compassion. Being moved by compassion always sends the right signal.
What signal are you sending as the world looks on and carefully takes note of your behavior? What signal are you sending, Christian? What signal are you sending, parent? In a world plagued by self-centered, uncaring attitudes, a show of compassion goes a long way. In Luke chapter 10, Jesus confronts a well-respected, well-educated man who in many respects was no different than some Christians today. He was familiar with the Bible. He worshipped regularly. He talked a good talk and walked a pretty good walk. But when it came to having compassion for others he was sending the wrong signal.
The man was a learned Jewish lawyer. He posed the most important question a person can ever ask: What shall I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus answered the question with a question of His own. In essence, Jesus said, “What do you think?” Whereupon the lawyer recites the Great Commandment, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus affirms the man's answer and says, “Do this and you will live.” What Jesus meant was this: If you can truly say that you have perfectly kept this commandment then you qualify to enter heaven because the standard for entering heaven is perfect righteousness.
The lawyer's next statement indicates that he thought he had the first part of the Great Commandment down pat. He thought he met the standard when it came to loving God. But he needed a little clarification about the “love your neighbor” part. Luke tells us that the lawyer was “trying to justify himself.” To be justified means to be righteous enough to enter heaven. In other words, this lawyer still did not get the point of Jesus' statement “do this and you will live.” He was focused on “doing” things that would qualify him for heaven. That is why his original question was “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Since he was under the impression that loving your neighbor and loving God was all it took, and since he felt he already loved God sufficiently, he wanted to know more about the “love your neighbor” requirement. So, he asks, “Who is my neighbor, anyway?”
What an indictment of his self-centered and pompous attitude! God forbid that he should accidentally show compassion or love toward someone who was not his neighbor! His question was really an attempt to limit who his neighbor might be. In Jesus' day, as well as today, there was a category of “non-neighbor,” which included those from other racial, ethnic, religious, or socioeconomic groups. The lawyer was seeking approval for this unloving concept. Jesus answers the lawyer's last question by telling the famous parable of the Good Samaritan.
You know the story well, I am sure, but what you may not notice at first pass is that by the end of the story, Jesus had turned the question around on the lawyer. The lawyer had asked, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus ends up asking, essentially, “Whose neighbor are you?” A good neighbor shows compassion to others regardless of the circumstance, situation, inconvenience, etc. The lawyer was unwilling to be a good neighbor.
We do not know what ultimately happened to the lawyer, but one thing is certain, if he continued to seek justification through his own efforts, he is spending eternity in hell. The only way to be justified is by faith. (Rom. 5:1) The righteousness that God's righteousness requires is the righteousness that only Christ can give. And He gives it free of charge to all who trust Him in simple faith for it. The question posed to the lawyer is a good question to ask ourselves as we seek to impact those around us with the message of the Gospel. Whose neighbor are you? What signal are you sending? Are you being a compassionate neighbor to those in need?
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