What Kind of Neighbor Are You? Lessons from the Good Samaritan
The question "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" is perhaps the most important theological question one could ask. In Luke 10:25-37, an expert in the law posed this question to Jesus—not because he genuinely wanted eternal life, but as a test, a power play to trap the new rabbi in town.
Jesus responded with his own question: "What's written in the law? How do you read it?" The expert quoted the Shema from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18: "Love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself."
Jesus affirmed his answer: "You have the right answer. Now go live it out."
But the man, seeking to justify himself, asked a follow-up question: "And who is my neighbor?" What he really meant was: "Who do I not have to love?" He wanted to draw a circle small enough that he could feel good about who was inside it and justified in ignoring those outside it.
Jesus responded with the Parable of the Good Samaritan—a story that would wreck this man's categories and remind us that we can have correct theology but still not know God.
What Is Blocking Your Compassion?
In the parable, a man is attacked on the treacherous 17-mile road from Jerusalem to Jericho. He's beaten, stripped, and left for dead. A priest and a Levite—both religious men who worked at the temple—see the injured man but pass by on the other side.
Before judging them too harshly, consider their perspective. Touching what might be a dead body would render them ceremonially unclean for an extended period, preventing them from fulfilling their ministry duties. If the man wasn't Jewish, they might not have felt obligated to help him at all.
These religious leaders fell back on technicalities and ceremonial concerns. But Jesus makes a subtle yet profound point: What value is religious knowledge without mercy?
The expert in the law had excellent theology—he knew Scripture better than most of us do today. But knowledge that doesn't stop to serve the wounded is worthless.
Compassion Requires Space in Your Life
Most of us aren't heartless—we're just hesitant. We're not against helping—we're just running on empty. Compassion cannot live in the margins of your life. It requires:
Emotional space to feel others' pain
Schedule space to change your plans
Heart space filled with God's love
Discipleship isn't preparation for a theological quiz show. It's for showing God's love through the gospel. As Philippians 2:4 reminds us: "Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others."
What If Jesus Is the One Stopping for You?
In Jewish storytelling, if a priest and a Levite appeared in a story, everyone expected the third character to be an ordinary Jewish man. But Jesus hands the role of rescuer to the last person they would imagine—a Samaritan.
To a first-century Jew, "Good Samaritan" was a contradiction in terms, like "same difference" or "jumbo shrimp." This wasn't just a moral twist; it was an ethnic scandal because of the deep prejudice between Jews and Samaritans.
Yet this Samaritan performs at least five acts of compassion:
He gets close to the wounded man
He bandages the wounds (tearing his own clothing)
He uses costly oil and wine to disinfect and soothe
He walks while letting the injured man ride his animal
He pays the innkeeper to care for the man indefinitely
Every act the Samaritan performed reverses a failure from the earlier characters. The priest didn't transport him—the Samaritan did. The Levite didn't treat his wounds—the Samaritan did. The robbers took his money—the Samaritan spent his.
Jesus as the Ultimate Good Samaritan
In this parable, Jesus gives us a portrait of himself. The Samaritan is Jesus Christ. We are the wounded ones, left for dead by sin. Religion couldn't save us. Rules couldn't heal us. But Jesus left his throne and came down into our mess, paying the full price to make us whole.
The Samaritan loved past the point where anyone else would have stopped. And once we've been rescued like that, how can we not show compassion to others?
What Kind of Neighbor Will You Be?
Jesus flips the expert's question. Instead of answering "Who is my neighbor?" he asks, "Which of these became a neighbor?" The expert wanted a checklist—Jesus gave him a calling.
The word "neighbor" is not about location; it's about action. You don't just have neighbors; you become one. The real question isn't "Who counts as my neighbor?" but "Who can I become a neighbor to today?"
Who Is My Neighbor According to Jesus?
1. Anyone who has a need. A neighbor isn't defined by geography or ethnicity but by need. If there's a need in front of you, there's a neighbor in front of you. 2. Anyone whose need I know about. God doesn't hold us accountable for what we don't see, but he calls us to respond to what we're aware of. Once you know, you cannot unknow. 3. Anyone whose need I can meet. You may not be able to do everything, but you can do something. You might not solve the crisis, but you can take the first step.
Your neighbor is anyone God places in your path with a need you can do something about. As J.C. Ryle said, "We should think of the whole world as our parish and all of mankind as our neighbors."
Neighbor Love in Action
During the 1910 cholera outbreak in northern China, most foreigners fled. But Christian missionaries Jonathan and Rosalind Goforth stayed. They preached Christ, nursed the sick, comforted the dying, and buried the dead when no one else would touch the contaminated bodies.
Rosalind wrote: "We felt that to leave at such a time would be to deny our Lord. If we perished, we perished, but we would not run."
Their courage changed everything. Suspicious villagers who wouldn't open their doors now opened their hearts to the Gospel. Hundreds turned to Christ as revival spread through the actions of this faithful couple.
The Samaritan didn't cross the road because it was safe—he crossed it because someone needed him. Your neighbors aren't looking for you to be perfect; they're looking for you to be present.
Life Application
The call of Jesus today is as simple as it is costly: "Get off the mule." Slow down. Pay attention. Love somebody inconvenient because someone did that for you. When Jesus says, "Go and do likewise," he's not asking us to be nicer—he's inviting us to reflect him.
Consider which of these statements describes you today:
"I'm wounded." You might be the one lying in the ditch—physically, emotionally, or spiritually. If that's you, let Jesus be your healer today.
"I've been walking around people." Maybe you've been too busy, preoccupied, or unsure to act. Ask God to open your eyes and rearrange your priorities.
"I want to be a neighbor again." You want to start seeing, stopping, and serving. Let the Spirit direct you to love boldly and compassionately.
Questions to Reflect On:
What specific needs has God placed in my path that I've been ignoring?
What excuses have I been making to avoid getting involved in others' messy lives?
How has Jesus been a Good Samaritan to me, and how can I reflect that same love to others this week?
What one practical step can I take this week to "get off my mule" and help someone in need?
Remember, the one who crossed heaven and earth to rescue you is the same one your neighbor desperately needs to meet. Will you be the one to introduce them?
Great Commission Series
PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN
What Kind of Neighbor Are You?
Luke 10:25–37
INTRO: Imagine you’re in a room full of pastors, professors, and armchair theologians—and someone throws a theological hand grenade in the middle of the circle: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus didn't ask that question. An expert in the law of Moses did. And not because he wanted eternal life—he wanted to score a win over the new rabbi. Luke says he stood up to "test" Jesus. The question looked spiritual, but underneath it was a power play. Jesus doesn’t fall for it. He answers the question with a question. "What’s written in the Law? How do you read it?"
The man quotes the Shema from Deuteronomy 6:5 and adds Leviticus 19:18: Love God. Love your neighbor.
Jesus says, "You’ve got the right answer. Now go live it out."
But the man didn’t want to be transformed by God. He wanted to be justified in the eyes of men. So he followed up with another question: "And who is my neighbor?"
What he really meant was: Who do I not have to love?
The man was trying to draw a circle small enough that he could feel good about who was inside it—and feel justified in ignoring who was outside it.
He’s hoping Jesus will say, “Only people like you.” He’s asking if he can love some and ignore the rest with a clean conscience.
Jesus responds with a story that wrecks his categories. And in doing so, Christ reminds us: You can have the correct answers and still not know God.
1. What’s Blocking Your Compassion?
Luke 10:31–32 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.
A man is attacked on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. The road is a steep, treacherous, 17-mile descent known for danger. He’s beaten, stripped, left for dead. That’s the setting.
Along comes a priest. Then a Levite. Surely these religious men will help? Nope. Both see the man but keep on going.
But let’s not make cardboard villains out of them. Let’s not glare at them as if we are incapable of that kind of indifference.
Remember: to touch a corpse could render them unclean. And if the man wasn’t Jewish, they might not have been required to help at all.
So they fall back on technicalities and ceremonial concerns.
But Jesus is making a subtle point here: Of what value is religious knowledge without mercy?
The expert in the law had all the right theology. So did the priest. So did the Levite. But knowledge that doesn’t stop to serve the wounded is worthless.
Most of the time we’re not heartless, we’re just hesitant. We are not against helping. We are just running on empty.
But compassion can’t live in the margins of your life. It requires space. Emotional space. Schedule space. Heart space.
Discipleship isn’t a quiz show. Theology is not for flexing; it is for showing the love of God through the Gospel.
Phil 2:4 "Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others."
2. What If Jesus Is the One Stopping for You?
Luke 10:33–35 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’
In Jewish stories, if a priest showed up and then a Levite, everyone expected the third character to be an ordinary Jewish man. That was the pattern. But Jesus hands the role of rescuer to the last person they’d ever imagine—a Samaritan.
This is not just a moral twist. This is an ethnic scandal. To a first-century Jew, "good Samaritan" was a contradiction in terms.
The Samaritan "came where he was"—saw the man—and had compassion.
(1) He got close. (2) He bandaged the wounds. (3) He used oil and wine—costly tools. (4) He walked while the man rode. (5) He paid the innkeeper and promised to return.
Every act the Samaritan performed reverses a failure by the earlier characters.
The priest didn’t transport him—the Samaritan did. The Levite didn’t treat his wounds—the Samaritan did. The robbers took his money—the Samaritan spent his.
And in all this, Jesus is giving us a portrait of Himself.
"The saving agent comes from outside the religious system and pays the cost himself."
The Samaritan is Jesus. We are the wounded one.
We were left for dead by sin. Religion couldn’t save us. Rules couldn’t heal us. But Jesus got off His throne, came down into our mess, and paid the full price to make us whole.
This is a stunning picture of a man who did more than the minimum.
He didn’t just do the decent thing. He did the divine thing. He loved past the point where anyone else would have stopped.
And once you've been rescued like that... how can you not show compassion to others?
3. What Kind of Neighbor Will You Be?
Luke 10:36–37 So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Jesus flips the lawyer’s question. He doesn’t answer, "Who is my neighbor?" Instead, He asks, "Which of these became a neighbor?"
The expert in the law wanted a check list: “Who do I have to love?”
Jesus gave him a calling: “Love without limits.”
The word "neighbor" is not about location. It is about action.
Jesus is teaching: You don’t just have neighbors. You become one.
The real question is not, “Who counts as my neighbor?” but “Who can I become a neighbor to today?”
And again: "For Jesus, 'neighbor' is a verb that must be done for anyone in need."
Dr. Jim Allman’s quote:
Who is my neighbor?
• anyone who has a need
• whose need I know
• whose need I can meet
J.C. Ryle – “We should think of the whole world as our parish, and all of mankind as our neighbors."
Do you think there are hurting people on your street? In your workplace? On your kid’s soccer team? In your church today?
They may not be bleeding on the outside, but they could be hemorrhaging on the inside.
illus: In 1910, northern China was devastated by a cholera outbreak. Cholera is a deadly disease that spreads through contaminated water. It causes violent vomiting, diarrhea, and dehydration so severe that people can die within hours. Entire villages were paralyzed with fear. Most foreigners packed up and fled. Who could blame them? To stay meant likely death. But Jonathan Goforth and his wife Rosalind made a different choice: they stayed. Day after day they went into infected villages. They preached Christ, but they didn’t just preach. They nursed the sick. They comforted the dying. They even helped bury the dead when no one else would come near.
Rosalind later wrote, “We felt that to leave at such a time would be to deny our Lord. If we perished, we perished; but we would not run.” Their courage under fire changed everything. Suspicious villagers who had once closed their doors now opened their hearts. Hundreds turned to Christ. Revival spread right in the middle of a plague.
That’s neighbor-love. The Samaritan didn’t cross the road because it was safe. He crossed it because someone needed him. That’s what the Goforths did.
Your neighbors aren’t looking for you to be perfect. They’re looking for you to be present. For your to stop and show compassion.
Matt 4:14, 16 "You are the light of the world... let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."
CONCLUSION:
The call of Jesus today is as simple as it is costly: Get off the mule.
Slow down. Pay attention. Love somebody inconvenient.
Because someone did that for you. The Lord Jesus stopped and came to your rescue.
When the Lord says, "Go and do likewise," He’s not just telling you to be nicer—He’s inviting you to reflect Him.
The one who crossed heaven and earth to get to you is the same one your neighbor desperately needs to meet.
FOR PRAYER MINISTRY:
“I’m Wounded” — You’re the one lying in the ditch. Physically, emotionally, spiritually, you’re hurting. Let Jesus be your healer today.
“I’ve Been Walking Around People” — Maybe you’ve been too busy, too preoccupied, or too unsure to act. Ask God to open your eyes and rearrange your priorities.
“I Want to Be a Neighbor Again” — You want to start seeing, stopping, and serving again. The Spirit is prompting you to love boldly and compassionately.
Go and do likewise.
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Who persecute us. Lord, I pray that we would pursue you enough that we would be persecuted, that we'd be reviled for your namesake, and that we would continue to love our enemies until you win them. In Jesus name, Amen.
Please find Luke chapter 10 in your Bibles or on your phones or devices, wherever you have the Scriptures.
I would like your verbal permission to feed you the word of God today. Do I have it?
This is part four of our Great Commission series. Today I'll be examining the text commonly called the Parable of the Good Samaritan. This was already planned and done before the events of this week, but they relate. We're going to be asking and answering the question, what kind of neighbor are you? And our text today is Luke, chapter 10, verses 25 through 37.
And they read this way. And behold, a certain lawyer, an expert in the law, stood up and tested Jesus, tested him, saying, teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said to him, what is written in the law? What is your reading of it? 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.
And Jesus said to him, you have answered rightly. Do this and you will live. But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, and who is my neighbor? Then Jesus answered and said, a certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now, by chance, a certain priest came down that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
Likewise, a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine, and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, take care of him, and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.
So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves? And he said, he who showed mercy on him. Then Jesus said to him, go and do likewise, my brothers and my sisters. The word of the Lord. Let's pray together.
Father, teach us what you're like today.
Show us the digital photo of the Lord Jesus in These scriptures make us neighbors. The faith filled church said Amen. So imagine you're in a room full of pastors and seminary professors and armchair theologians. You got the scene. And someone throws a theological hand grenade into the circle.
And the hand grenade is a question, what must I do to inherit eternal life? I can't think of a more important question. Jesus is in the circle, but he didn't ask that question. An expert in the law of Moses did. And not because he wanted eternal life.
He wanted to score a win over the new rabbi in town. Luke says he stood up to test Jesus. The question, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Looked spiritual, didn't it? But underneath, it was a power play, and Jesus doesn't fall for it.
He answers the question with another question. What's written in the law? How do you read it? And the man who is an expert in the law gives a great answer. He quotes the Shema which all little boys and girls at Jewish day school learn.
Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, The Lord is one Lord. That is from Deuteronomy, chapter 6, verse 5. And then he attaches to it Leviticus 19:18. Love your neighbor as yourself, so summarize. Love God, love your neighbor.
Jesus says, you have the right answer. Now go live it out. But the man didn't want to be transformed by God. He wanted to be justified in the eyes of men, his colleagues. So he followed up with another question.
And who exactly is my neighbor? You know what he really meant? Who do I not have to love?
The man was trying to draw a circle so small that he could feel good about who was inside it. And he could feel justified in ignoring those who are outside the circle. When he says to Jesus, who's my neighbor? He's hoping Jesus will say, only people like you.
He's asking if he can love some and ignore the rest and keep a clean conscience. Well, Jesus responds with a story. We call them parables. This parable wrecks this man's categories. And in doing so, Christ reminds us, you can have the correct answers and still not know God.
So here's how my sermon is outlined today. Three questions. Question number one. What is blocking your compassion?
Verses 31 and 32.
Now, by chance, a certain priest came down that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise, a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked and passed by on the other side. So a man is attacked on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho is a steep, treacherous 17 mile descent into danger. He is beaten, he's stripped, he's left for dead.
That's the setting. Along comes a priest and then a Levite who served as the priest staff at the temple. Surely these religious men will help this injured man. Nope. They both see this man, but keep on going.
Before you judge them too harshly, let's not make cardboard villains out of the priests and the Levite. Let's not glare at them as if we are incapable of that kind of indifference in our lives. I want you to remember these men worked for God at the temple. To touch a dead body, to touch a corpse in case he was dead would render them ceremonially unclean for an extended period of time and they would not be able to fulfill their ministry. And also, if the man wasn't Jewish, they might not have been required to help him at all.
So the priests and the Levite fall back on technicalities. Listen, you don't want to have a technical Christian faith that they fall back on ceremonial concerns. But the Lord Jesus is making a subtle point here in this story, which is what value is religious knowledge without mercy?
You know, the expert in the law had all the right theology. He knew the Bible better than you know it, as did the priest and the Levite. They had excellent theology. But listen to me, friends. Knowledge that doesn't stop to serve the wounded is worthless.
Just this week, one of our deacons, he and his wife were telling me about a Jesus story, a providential moment that happened in their life. About a week ago. They were on the wife's lunch hour. He's retired, she's still working. They were gonna go get something to eat.
They were gonna go get some tacos out near Maywood, but his mother lives with them, is aging and she doesn't like tacos. Apparently she likes chicken. So they said, well, let's scoot over to Bojangles. Amen. Hallelujah.
Let's go over to Bojangles and I know you're running late, let's just get some chicken and head home. When they get into the parking lot at Bojangles, there's a crowd standing where there's an old man struggling to change a flat tire on his old wife's car, who's standing there and their 73 year old daughter. He's 90. It was hot summer day. The Bojangles employees were bringing them water, but they didn't know how to change a tire.
This man hadn't done it in a long time and he's struggling for about 45 minutes. And our deacon Deaconess drive up and they're pressed for time, but she turns to her husband and says, the will of God for us is to go help them. He's like, absolutely. So they pull in there and this guy's got every kind of tool in his truck already, so he hops out and he begins to change the tire. And the deaconess is talking to the daughter, the 73 year old daughter who had just come from a church over this way.
She cleans their church and she said, well, my mama was driving and she hit the curb and busted the tire and she called daddy and he drove up here and we just, we're just not strong enough to do it. And she says, you know, we were gonna go get tacos, but for some reason we thought we should go to Bojangles. And now we know why we're supposed to go get some chicken. But it was to meet you and to help you and to encourage you. They just had a Jesus time right there in the parking lot.
Do you think that was random or a coincidence? No. There's people in the ditch on the side of the road. And this is what's interesting. He said, the deacon told me this was what went through his mind.
You know, somebody's probably already on the way to help them. And then he realized it was us. God sent us. We changed our plan. We were running out of time and we had that moment with God.
You see, isn't it true that most of us, we're not heartless, we're just hesitant, we're not against helping, we're just running on empty. Friends, I want to tell you that compassion cannot live in the margins of your life.
It requires space. Compassion requires emotional space. You got to feel it. Compassion requires schedule, place. You have to change your plan.
Sometimes compassion requires heart space. If the love of God is in you, you will. Compassion, theology, friends, Bible knowledge and all that. It's not for flexing. Look what we know.
Look how strong we are. Discipleship isn't preparation for a quiz show. It's for showing the love of God through the gospel. Do you believe that? Philippians 2, 4.
Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. What's blocking you? Your compassion.
That's question number one. Did you survive it? They get worse. Number two. What if Jesus is the one stopping for you?
Verses 33 through 35. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine, and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, take care of him, and whatever more you spend when I come again, I will repay you.
Compassion doesn't just feel. It does.
All right, finish this sentence. A priest, a rabbi and a pastor walk into a coffee shop. You're in church.
A priest, a rabbi and a pastor walk into a coffee shop, and the barista looks up and says, what is this, some kind of a joke?
Oh, I have more.
An Englishman, a Scotsman and an Irishman are stranded on a desert island. They find a genie who grants each of them one wish.
The Englishman wishes to be back home in London. The Scotsman wishes to be back home in Edinburgh. The Irishman looks around and says, boy, it's lonely around here. I wish they would both come back.
A list of three men in the same category has become a famous setup for a joke. But it originated in ancient literature as a mechanism to teach important truth. For example, in our story today, it's a Jewish story. In Jewish stories, if a priest showed up and then a Levite, everyone expected the third character to be an ordinary Jewish man. So a priest, a Levite and a layman.
That was the pattern. Well, Jesus tells the story of a priest and a Levite, but he hands the role of rescuer, not to a Jewish layman. He hands the role of rescuer to the last person they would ever imagine. A Samaritan.
All right, work with me here. What do the following two word phrases have in common? Two word phrases, same difference. Working vacation. Civil war.
Jumbo shrimp. Crash landing. Definite Maybe. Open secret. Pretty ugly.
It's my favorite. Constant change. Act naturally. Random order. What do they have in common?
They're contradictory terms, like Good Samaritan.
To a first century Jew, Good Samaritan doesn't exist. This is not a moral twist, my brothers and sisters. It's an ethnic scandal when Jesus tells this story because there was so much prejudice bound up in Jews versus Samaritans. But that Good Samaritan. I counted at least five acts of compassion in our text.
Number one, he got close. Number two, he bandaged the wounds. That means he had to tear his clothing to do it. Number three, he used oil and wine. They disinfect and they soothe and they cost a lot of money.
Number four, he walked while the man rode. He got off his own animal. Number five, he Paid it forward. He paid enough to the innkeeper to take care of him indefinitely and said, if there's anything I owe when I get back, I'll pay it.
Listen to me very carefully, friends. Every act the Samaritan performed reverses of failure from the earlier characters in the story. The priest didn't transport him, the Samaritan did. The Levite didn't treat his wounds, the Samaritan did. The robbers took his money, the Samaritan spent his.
Here's the punchline. You ready? And it's no joke in all of this. Jesus is giving us a portrait of himself.
What if Jesus is the one stopping for you? One commentator said, the saving agent comes from outside the religious system and pays the cost personally.
The Samaritan is Jesus Christ. We are the wounded ones.
We were left for dead by sin. Is that true? Religion couldn't save us. Is that true? Rules couldn't heal us.
Is that true? But Jesus got off his throne and he came down into our mess. And he paid the full price to make us whole.
I want to tell you this is a stunning picture of a man who did far more than the minimum.
He didn't just do the decent thing, he did the divine thing.
The Samaritan in our story today loved past the point where anyone else would have stopped.
And friends, once we've been rescued like that, how can we not show compassion to others?
What if Jesus is the one stopping for you? Question number three. What kind of neighbor will you be?
Verses 36 and 37. So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves? And he said, he who showed mercy on him. And then Jesus. By the way, that's a lot of words to keep from saying.
The Samaritan, he couldn't even say his ethnic background. That guy that showed mercy, then Jesus said, go and do likewise. Jesus flips the expert's question. He doesn't answer the question for who is my neighbor? Instead, he asks, which of these became a neighbor?
What kind of neighbor will you be? See, the expert in the law wanted a checklist. Who do I have to love? Jesus gave him a calling. Love without limits.
As you think about that, I want to tell you this. The word neighbor is not about location, it's about action.
Jesus is teaching, you don't just have neighbors, you become one.
The real question is not who counts as my neighbor? The real question is, who can I become a neighbor to today?
And again, Jesus. For him, neighbor is a verb that must be done for anyone in need. My favorite professor that I ever had was Dr. Jim Allman. And as he was teaching us this parable one day in class, he said, here's the answer to the question, who's my neighbor? According to the Bible text, He answers it three ways.
You need this. Ready? Who is my neighbor? Number one. Anyone who has a need.
A neighbor is not defined by geography. Well, that's who lives next door. A neighbor is not defined by ethnicity. That's the people that I know and relate to. A neighbor is defined by need.
There's something lacking. So listen to me very carefully. If there's a need in front of you, there's a neighbor in front of you.
Could be somebody in your family, but it doesn't have to be. Might be a stranger on the street at Bojangles. It could be a co worker quietly drowning in stress and anxiety near the hands and feet of Jesus where you work. It could be a classmate crushed by loneliness because no one speaks to them or cares about them.
Who is my neighbor? Anyone who has a need. Number two, Whose need? I know it helps me to know that God doesn't hold us accountable for what we don't see. But he does call us to respond to.
To what he's made us aware of. So it's like this. Once you know, you cannot unknow that text message that came through that social media post that you read that conversation in the hallway. That's the spirit. Making sure that you see the need.
Who is my neighbor? Anyone who has a need. Whose need? I know. Number three.
Whose need I can meet friends. You may not be able to do everything. You may not be able to bandage the wounds, pour on oil and wine, get off your own animal and pay it forward. You may not be able to do all that, but you can do something.
You might not be able to solve the crisis, but you can take the first step. You can bring a meal. Nobody said you had to cook it. That's why God invented Walmart. Amen.
You can lend a listening ear. You can pray with someone on the spot. You can connect them to others who can really help. God doesn't ask for what you don't have. He asks for what you're holding in your hands already.
In other words, my neighbor is not just the person that lives next door. My neighbor is anyone God places in my path with a need I can do something about. Or as J.C. ryle said, we should think of the whole world as our parish and all of mankind as our neighbors. Let me ask you a question. You think there are hurting People on your street?
What about in your workplace?
How about on your kid's soccer team? Think that was random? You think there's anybody that is in need in your church today?
They may not be bleeding on the outside like the man in the parable, but they could be hemorrhaging on the inside.
In 1910, northern China was devastated by a cholera outbreak. Cholera is a deadly disease that spreads through contaminated water. It causes violent vomiting, diarrhea, and dehydration so severe that people often die within hours. Entire villages were paralyzed with fear. Most of the foreigners packed up and fled.
And who can blame them? To stay meant likely death. But a man named Jonathan Goforth, a Christian missionary, and his wife Rosalind made a different choice. They stayed.
Day after day, they went into the infected villages. They preached Christ. But they didn't just preach. They nursed the sick. They comforted the dying.
They even buried the dead when no one else would touch those contaminated bodies.
Rosalind later wrote in her journal. We felt that to leave at such a time would be to deny our Lord. If we perished, we perished, but we would not run.
Their courage under fire changed everything. Suspicious villagers that wouldn't open their doors now opened their hearts to the Gospel. And I mean hundreds and hundreds turn to Christ revival spreading at the actions of a faithful couple in the middle of a plague that is neighbor love.
Let me ask you a question. Did the Samaritan cross the road because it was safe to do so? No. He crossed it because someone needed him. Well, that's what the go forths did.
And I want to encourage you. Your neighbors are not looking for you to be perfect. They're looking for you to be present.
They're hoping that you'll stop and show compassion.
Let me ask that question again. What kind of neighbor will you be? Matthew, chapter 5, verses 14 and 16. Jesus said, you are the light of the world. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven.
In conclusion, today I want to just tell you I'm going to give you a line that you can remember. The call of Jesus today is as simple as it is costly. Here's the line. Get off the mule. Everybody say, get off the mule.
Slow down. Pay attention. Love somebody inconvenient because someone did that for you. The Lord Jesus stopped and came to your rescue. When the Lord says, go and do likewise, he's not bidding us to be nicer.
He's inviting us to reflect him. I want to tell you that the one that crossed Heaven and earth to get to you is the same one your neighbor desperately needs to meet.
So here's how you apply this message today in our prayer ministry lines and church. I'm not accepting any excuses today. After the events of this week and the emotional state of our nation, we need to have full long prayer lines today. You need to come for prayer. And if you can't think of anything to pray for, that's sometimes the best.
Just say, would you pray for me? Whatever the Lord lays on your heart and watch God speak to that prayer team for you. But to apply this to your life, three quotes. Number one, I'm wounded.
You might be the one lying in the ditch today. Physically, emotionally, spiritually, you're in pain, you're hurting. If that's you, let Jesus be your healer today. Come for prayer. I'm wounded.
Number two, I've been walking around people. Maybe you've been too busy, maybe too occupied, maybe too preoccupied. Maybe you missed your Bojangles moment. Maybe you've been too unsure to act. Ask God to open your eyes and rearrange your priorities.
I've been walking around people. And number three, I want to be a neighbor again. You want to start seeing. You want to start stopping and start serving again. The spirit is directing you because of what you heard today, to love boldly and love compassionately.
I'm wounded. I've been walking around people. I've been. I want to be a neighbor again. That's going to be most of us.
Come get prayer for that. And as our prayer team comes forward. Now, come on, prayer team, get ready.
Give them a second to get up here and then we're going to stand together. And I've prepared for us a responsive reading. Prayer to dismiss on today.
I want you to see these brothers and sisters that looking forward to pray for you. Angie and I will be down here praying for people too today. I think we'll be able to do that.
Oh, what the Lord may speak through these to pray for you. Now, if you'll stand with me, this responsive prayer is going to be on the screen. I'm going to read the leader part. You're going to follow with the congregation part. I think you'll get the rhythm.
We're going to offer this with humble hearts is our prayer today. If you're ready, say yes. All right. Lord Jesus, we confess that too often we walk past the wounded.
We get busy, distracted or afraid, and we miss the chance to love our neighbor.
But you did not pass us by. You stopped for us, healed us and made us whole.
Today we surrender our excuses and choose the way of mercy.
Amen. You are dismissed to the mission field. You go after.
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Come and join us this Sunday at the Great Commission Church for a truly remarkable and uplifting experience. Great Commission Church is a family-friendly church in Olive Branch, MS. Great Commission Church is not just any ordinary place of worship; it's a vibrant community where faith comes alive, hearts are filled with love, and lives are transformed. Our doors are wide open, ready to welcome you into the warm embrace of our congregation, where you'll discover the true essence of fellowship and spirituality. At Great Commission Church, we are more than just a congregation; we are a family united by a common mission – to follow the teachings of Christ and spread His love to the world. As you step inside Great Commission Church, you'll find a sanctuary that nurtures your faith and encourages you to be part of something greater than yourself.
We believe in the power of coming together as a community to worship, learn, and serve. Whether you're a long-time believer or just starting your spiritual journey, Great Commission Church welcomes people from all walks of life. Our vibrant services are filled with inspiring messages, beautiful music, and heartfelt prayers that will uplift your soul. Every Sunday at Great Commission Church is an opportunity to deepen your relationship with God and connect with others who share your faith and values.
At Great Commission Church, we believe that faith is not just a solitary endeavor but a shared experience that strengthens and enriches us all. Our church is a place where you can find purpose, belonging, and the encouragement to live a life in accordance with Christ's teachings. Join us this Sunday at Great Commission Church and experience the transformative power of faith in action. Be part of a loving and supportive community that is committed to making a positive impact in our world. Together, we strive to fulfill the great commission to go forth and make disciples of all nations. We look forward to having you with us at Great Commission Church this Sunday, where faith, love, and community intersect in a truly amazing way.
Great Commission Church is a non-denominational, family-friendly Christian church located in Olive Branch, Mississippi. We are a short drive from Germantown, Southaven, Collierville, Horn Lake, Memphis, Fairhaven, Mineral Wells, Pleasant Hill, Handy Corner, Lewisburg and Byhalia. Great Commission Church is conveniently located, making it easy to find and attend. Many people have even called it their go-to “church near me” or the "Church nearby" because of how accessible it is and how quickly it feels like home.
See you Sunday at Great Commission Church in Olive Branch, Mississippi!
