NEIGHBORLY

Neighborly neighbors often really care what’s going on with you and the other neighbors. Sometimes it is easy to push some neighbors away and not get too close for fear that such people might be New Age, Buddhist, or just humanist nice people who are not like us. It is often because they are genuinely kind, helpful, mindful and loving people. That also may not be like us.

It reminds me of the Good Samaritan story where the lawyer tested Jesus on the ‘love your neighbor’ quote by asking, “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29) Jesus answered by telling the comparative Samaritan story of the three responses from the priest, the Levite and the Samaritan to the man who was beaten, robbed and ‘left half dead.’ (10:30-35)
“Now which of these three do you think was a neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”
He said, “The one who showed mercy on him.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

The merciful, mindful, kind, giving and loving person is compared to the religious persons. For us it is not an either-or situation. It is being a disciple of Jesus and also being mindful, kind and loving. It is being a neighborly neighbor.

“Go and do likewise.” Jesus