In reply Jesus said: “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

Who is my neighbor? Over the weekend, Patrina and I attended my brother’s church in Bloomfield, Missouri as the people honored him for 20 years of ministry as pastor there. As part of the service, a video featured comments from small kids and others in the church including a small segment from a man who briefly described how Dwight was with him at 3 o’clock in the morning helping him through a moment of crisis. That moment stood out to me among the well-wishes and thank-you messages.

Who is my neighbor?

In the verses above, the expert wanted to justify himself by asking the question and probably expected to be encouraged. Instead, Jesus delivered a challenge that embarrassed the religious class and encouraged the rest of His hearers.

A good neighbor is one who can be inconvenienced to help a friend or stranger in need. A good neighbor does more than is expected. A good neighbor points others to Christ.