Who Is My Neighbor? by W.

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Nov 25, 1886

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 12, No. 45.

"Who Is My Neighbor?"

By W.

THE following question has been asked:—

"According to the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37), who is our neighbor? Do verses 36 and 37 teach that they only are our neighbors who show themselves to be neighborly, and that it is only such that we are to love as our neighbors, while we are to love others as enemies?"

We are not able to find in the Bible any distinction between the treatment of "neighbors" and "enemies." If there were such distinction, the parable referred to would certainly read differently from what it does. Between the Jews and the Samaritans there was bitterness amounting to almost deadly hatred. See John 4:9; Luke 9:51-54. For this enmity it seems that the Jews were chiefly responsible, as they considered themselves far superior to the Samaritans, whom they regarded with contempt, treating them as dogs. The worst thing the unbelieving Jews could say in reproach of Christ was, "Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan,

and hast a devil?" John 8:48. To call him a Samaritan was to brand him with infamy.

In the parable we have a man, presumably a Jew, since he was going down to Jericho from Jerusalem, who was maltreated by robbers, and left for dead. Some of his own countrymen, a priest and a Levite, passed by, and left him to his fate. But a Samaritan, one of the despised and hated race, came by, and did to the wounded man as is described. He could not have done more for him if he had been his brother. Now the question is, Who was neighbor to him that fell among thieves? The answer is, "He that showed mercy upon him," and this answer is accepted. The good Samaritan was neighbor to the disabled Jew, whom he treated as his own neighbor. And yet, the Jew was the enemy of the Samaritan. The only inference is, that when the law says, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself," we are to hold ourselves ready to serve anybody who needs assistance, and are not to stop to inquire whether the needy person is a "neighbor" or an "enemy" and have two standards of action. In other words, our enemies are to be treated as our neighbors; or, better still, we are to act as though we had no enemies. In our dealings with our fellow-men we are not to consider that any man is our enemy, but are to treat all with kindly consideration.

This is in harmony with our Saviour's words in the sermon on the mount: "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in Heaven; for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." Matt. 5:43-45. God dispenses the favors of his Providence impartially on the good and the bad. Blasphemers, as well as those who praise, are the objects of God's kind care. If we would be his children, we must do likewise. It is not in accordance with human nature so to do. This can be done only when we are fully imbued with the Spirit of Him who on the cross prayed for his relentless persecutors, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." W.