Ready For
Compassion?
"So which of these three do
you think was neighbor to him
who fell among the thieves?"
Luke 10: 36
The word neighbor derives from two English words for
“near” and “inhabitant.” In modern terms, it describes
a person living near or next door. We tend to think in
more limited terms: a person living near or next door
that I know personally.
Jesus’ definition of neighbor was different. It arose out
of a conversation with a lawyer who said the law could
be summarized as loving God and loving one’s neighbor
(Luke 10:25-37). But the lawyer then asked Jesus what a
modern person might ask: “Who exactly is my neighbor?”
Jesus answered by telling the story of the Good
Samaritan, a man who helped a Jewish stranger
who had been beaten and robbed and left for
dead
by the roadside. Two Jewish religious leaders had
passed by without offering help. But the Samaritan
man stopped and helped the
victim and took care
of his needs.
This was amazing because
Jews and Samaritans were
enemies in that day.
Jesus’ point was this:
Your neighbor is anyone with a
need that you are able to meet.
Look for neighbors whose need
you might meet today.
"People may excite in themselves
a glow of compassion by going and
seeking an object that
requires
compassion."
Henry Ward Beecher