Who Is My Neighbor?
By John H. Edgar, Ph.D.
"Who is my neighbor?" is the question to which Jesus responded by telling the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-36)
Remember that the initial question was, "What shall I do to inherit eternal life? (Luke 10:25). And the answer included, "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Luke 10:27). The good Samaritan parable seems to answer the question, "Who really loved his neighbor as himself?"
The answer according to the priest and the Levite was not to risk contamination by the unclean, wounded man. They passed by.
The Samaritan's answer, in spite of Jewish and Samaritan hostility, was to respond to the need. He went to the wounded man and helped him.
We love our neighbors by responding to their needs, as we would take care of ourselves. Anyone in need is our neighbor whom we may lavish with our love.
Dr. John H. Edgar is Pastoral Counselor at the Kilgore Samaritan Counseling Center, Louisville, KY. This article appeared in Visions, the Center's Newsletter, Winter 1999.