Who Is
My Neighbour?
by Soldier Casey
O'Brien
I live in a battle-axe block. There are four houses in close
proximity to mine with many people living in each. I have a
lot of neighbours – none of whom I know particularly well. I
know that the lady out the front loves gardening. I know that
there’s a grumpy man in House Number 2 who doesn’t like having
the bins in his driveway. I know that the man in the house out
the back has dogs that bark all night. Sadly, I assume that
they would know even less about me, as our relationships
consist of a smile and a wave as I drive out the driveway each
morning. It’s safe to say that I am not a particularly
involved, or should I say “good” neighbour.
In Luke 10, an expert in the law attempts to trick Jesus by
referring to scripture which says, ‘Love your neighbour as
yourself’. He asks Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’, and
Jesus responds by telling the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
Through the telling of this story, Jesus confuses everyone
around him. Not only does he challenge racial and class norms
by placing the Samaritan in the position of “good guy”, he has
the audacity to frame the religious elite – the Priests and
the Levites – as the bad guys in the story. Jesus is turning
society’s understanding of what it is to care for someone else
on its head. He is establishing a completely new system of
society – a system where another person is worthy of
compassion and love purely because they are a human being.
According to Jesus’ parable, those with “neighbour” status do
not consist only of those living in houses either side of
yours. The “neighbour” circle does not even stop at the limits
of your suburb or your state, or of your Corps’ zone.
Our “neighbours” are
anyone within tangible reach of our compassion[1].
Unfortunately, a quick look at many Christians and indeed at
the Church today would suggest that we are aligned with the
expert in the law. Many of us have reduced “loving our
neighbour as ourselves” to “loving our family and friends as
ourselves” or “loving our Corps members as ourselves”. It is
easy for us to “love as ourselves” those whom we love anyway.
While The Salvation Army has a reputation for offering
compassion and love to those outside our own families who
present themselves as needing help, we often forget about
those who don’t present themselves. We often forget that we
have neighbours who may not be a part of our direct sphere of
influence.
So who is your neighbour in 2014? Is the lady living across
the street, grieving her husband, your neighbour? Yes. Is the
homeless teenage boy that you see on your way to work, who is
consistently smoking pot, your neighbour? Yes. Is the Mormon
who approaches you on the street, or the gay student in your
son’s school class your neighbour? Yes. Are those experiencing
turmoil and hurt in war in Syria my neighbours?
Yes, yes and yes!
As Christians who are called to love our neighbours, we are
called to love anyone within tangible reach of our compassion.
In a world that is constantly shrinking due to technological
advances, our capacity to reach others is greatly increased.
Praise God that His limitless and boundless love can flow
through us to so many others!
We have local neighbours and global neighbours. We have
geographically near neighbours and we have emotionally near
neighbours. The list of those who are my “neighbours” is
limitless. In identifying your neighbours, start small. Look
at your local area and identify those who may need to feel the
love of God in their lives today. Then think a bit bigger –
who are those on the outer of your Corps family? Who are those
on the outer of the society in which you live? Who are those
on the other side of the world whose experiences resonate with
yours or to whom you have something to offer? The capacity to
love in this “global neighbourhood” is limitless.
So, as I step outside my front door to ask the lady in the
Front House about her garden, I will reflect on what makes me
a good neighbour. Good neighbours are informed about those
issues which affect others. Good neighbours pray
intelligently, advocate for those who can’t stand for
themselves, give money strategically and live justly.
Good neighbours love greatly, without exception.
[1]
The Salvation Army International
Social Justice Commission,
Jesus and
Justice, p. 25.
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