Love Others: Who is my Neighbor According to the Bible?
"Who is my neighbor according to the Bible?" This question led to one of the most profound parables in Scripture — the story of the Good Samaritan. It’s a question that still resonates today, challenging us to examine our hearts and redefine our understanding of love and compassion. This parable wasn’t just an answer to a question; it was an invitation to see beyond social, cultural, and personal boundaries.
Let’s explore what it truly means to be a neighbor in the biblical sense and how Jesus calls us to embody his love in the world around us.
Who is My Neighbor According to the Bible?
Picture this: Jesus is teaching deep meaningful lessons, doing the things he does when he is stopped by an arrogant, self-righteous lawyer. The lawyer asks for a simple plan to inherit eternal life.
Jesus, as he often does, turns the question back to the lawyer. Basically, he asks the man to clarify the law. How would he, the lawyer, break it down?
Luke captures the young man’s response:
“ So he answered and said, ‘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 ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ”
I can see Jesus with gentle eyes and a strong voice responding, “do that.” And then turning back to the crowd to move on.
But that wasn’t enough for our inquisitive friend. He pulls Jesus back into the conversation with another question: “Who is my neighbor?”
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
I imagine that Jesus smiled slightly as he pulled the lawyer into a story about the Good Samaritan. The rich symbolism of the allegory speaks volumes!
There are four principal characters in the Parable of the Good Samaritan:
The injured man
The priest
The Levite
The Samaritan
Many have said that the injured man in this parable represents anyone who is hurt by life. So, who might the others represent? Maybe the priest and the Levite are those that say they’re believers and should know better than to ignore someone in need.
And the Samaritan? God’s people saw Samaritans as “less-than,” but this is the one in the story that showed true love and care for a stranger. It’s the rejected one who felt the pain of the injured man and used his own means to make sure the man was cared for. Not only did he walk so the man could ride, but he also paid for his care and checked on him to make sure he was recovering.
Jesus, again, asks the lawyer a pointed question, “who was the injured man’s neighbor?”
The lawyer responds, “the one who showed mercy.”
He smiles for real this time, “to get eternal life, do that.”
Commissioned to Reach Our Neighbors
That’s the end of that lesson, right? Everyone understood? No need to revisit it? Nope. If you look carefully, Jesus revisits this very topic in his last instructions to the disciples before he ascends into heaven. He makes sure that everyone knows the expectations.
“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
Jesus tells the disciples to take the good news to their neighbors. Not just close friends and family in Jerusalem, but even those acquaintances and friends-of-friends in Judea. They are told to reach those in Samaria who don’t look like them, don’t live near them, and maybe who they don’t even like. That’s a tough one, but Jesus states it very specifically. They need the good news, too!
Finally, Jesus tells the disciples to go and witness to the whole world. This doesn’t leave anything to interpretation. He is basically saying that our neighbors are every single human being.
Expanding Our Love of Others
At the heart of Jesus’ teaching is a simple yet radical truth: our neighbor isn’t just the person who looks like us, thinks like us, or lives near us. Instead, our neighbor is anyone in need — anyone God places in our path.
The call to love and serve extends beyond our comfort zones, just as Jesus instructed his disciples to take the Gospel to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. If we truly want to follow Christ, we must embrace his command to love our neighbors — without limits, without conditions, and with the same mercy he has shown us.
So, will you share the good news with your neighbor today?