Loving Our Neighbor

Loving our neighbor is an ongoing practice. The emphasis on the “-ing” in “loving” reminds us to look for opportunities to care for the people around us and respond to their needs now. Good intentions need to become action. We often become more attentive when someone’s problems are obvious. Recognizing a need can stir our concern and willingness to help. But Christian love calls us to notice people before a crisis makes their needs impossible to ignore. In John 8:1-11, the religious leaders bring a woman caught in adultery before Jesus, using her situation to try to trap him. Jesus pauses and then challenges the one without sin to throw the first stone. One by one, her accusers leave. Jesus tells the woman that he does not condemn her and calls her to leave her sin behind. His response holds mercy and truth together. He shows compassion without treating sin as unimportant. Loving someone means caring about what that person truly needs, even when that includes a truth that is difficult to hear. In John 4, Jesus speaks to a Samaritan woman at a well and asks her for a drink. She is surprised that a Jewish man would speak to her. His willingness to begin a conversation crosses a social and religious divide and opens the way for him to address her spiritual needs. The disciples are also surprised to find Jesus speaking with her. Their reaction reminds us how easily expectations about whom we should associate with can limit our willingness to reach out. Jesus gives the woman his attention. She then tells the people of her town about him, and many Samaritans come to believe through her testimony and through hearing Him for themselves. We encounter our own “wells” in everyday life: ordinary places where we meet people who may need compassion, encouragement, conversation, or help. Will we respond as Jesus did, or avoid someone because that person is different, difficult, or outside our usual circle? In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus tells of a man who is attacked, robbed, and left half dead beside the road. A priest and a Levite each see him but pass by on the other side. They fail to put love of neighbor into practice. A Samaritan sees the injured man, has compassion, and goes to him. He tends his wounds, takes him to an inn, and pays for his care. His help costs him time and resources. In a story told against the background of hostility between Jews and Samaritans, the Samaritan becomes the example of what it means to be a neighbor. His compassion leads him to act. Loving our neighbor means being willing to go to someone in need and offer practical help, even when doing so interrupts our plans. Those needs take many forms. Someone may need physical help; another may be discouraged, lonely, or struggling spiritually. A neighbor may need a conversation, encouragement, or something as simple as having the grass cut. A can of green beans is not the answer for everybody. Love requires paying attention to the person and responding to the need that is actually there. The familiar title “The Good Samaritan” can make his compassion seem beyond the reach of ordinary people. Jesus does not use that title in the parable. He presents the Samaritan’s mercy as an example to follow and tells his hearer to do likewise. Such care belongs in the ordinary practice of loving our neighbor. Not everyone’s struggles are as visible as the wounds of the man beside the road. People who seem fine may be carrying burdens we cannot see. The image of someone left half dead challenges us to notice those around us who are hurting, including people much closer than we realize. Loving our neighbor means keeping our eyes open and being willing to respond. It may require changing our plans, crossing uncomfortable social boundaries, or offering both mercy and truth. As we put love into practice day by day, we learn to see and treat people more like Jesus. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hoovercoc.substack.com