Have you heard the story of the Good Samaritan? The (parabolic) man who’s now made a name for himself all around the world. Before I share this parable with you, we need to look at the question that prompts this story because it sets the stage for what we read later:

‘On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Luke 10:25-29 NIV

And this is when Jesus tells the story of the Samaritan.

“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.  A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.  So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.  But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.  He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.  The next day he took out two denarii  and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
Luke 10:30-35 NIV

Now, Jesus then asks a very important question.

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”(Luke 10:36 NIV)

As we read this question and look back on the question that the expert in law asks, what is something you might notice?

The expert asks, “Who is MY neighbor,” but Jesus says, “Who behaved like the neighbor?”

I’ll expand on this.

The man in the law asks, “Who do I have to treat right by the law? Who can I leave out?”

Jesus asks, “Who can you be a neighbor to?“

Jesus prompts us to think about how we can bless others rather than how they can benefit us.

This should affect the way we live our daily lives. When you see that classmate who you don’t like, the thought of whether they qualify to be your neighbor or not shouldn’t be what passes your mind. Instead, you should ask yourself the question of, “How can I be their neighbor?”

There’s nothing wrong with asking, “Are they my neighbor or not?” because you can ask it in a way that says, “How can I change my perspective so that they change from my enemy to my neighbor?”

Jesus challenges the way we look at others.

When we go about our everyday lives, our mind automatically categorizes people into “People I like,” “People I tolerate,” and “People I don’t like.”

But after walking with the Lord, even if there is someone who I classify as someone I don’t like, I don’t want to not like them. My attitude changes so that I want to love them, even if that means that it’s hard and possibly awkward. Sometimes it’s much harder than others, but that’s the point—we’re not called to live an easy life or follow easy commands.

This is something that we’re all still learning but that’s something we can all hold each other accountable for. It takes community for us grow and cultivate new, better habits.

As we close out this week, I encourage you to think about how you can possibly reshape the way you categorize people—from enemies and friends to fellow humans who simply all need Jesus. This is something I also will be challenging myself to do as I interact with coworkers, strangers, and close friends at work specifically. And don’t be discouraged if you find yourself not doing it immediately—it takes time to redevelop new habits!

Thanks for reading, I hope you all have a great day.
~Willow