First Baptist Church of Herndon

Who not to love?

Linda Soller | Aug 05, 2019

The expert in Hebrew law asked Jesus about the rule of loving your neighbor. Jesus told him the story of the good Samaritan. The expert knew the rule and understood the story, but still he asked for clarification on who was his neighbor? It seems to me he was looking for a definition he could live with. Maybe he really wanted to know who not to love. Isn’t that what we do when we aren’t sure we want to follow the rule at face value, we look for an excuse or short-cut. I feel like the expert was certainly well educated and in his time a person of standing in the community. Perhaps he felt his duty as a neighbor didn’t extend to just anyone.

Today we seem to hear more about people not looking out for each other. I know folks who find it hard to even care about their own family members. So how do we apply “love your neighbor” to our real lives? Clearly, we can’t solve all the hunger and homelessness in all the world by ourselves. Most of us could only make a tiny dent in those problems in our own community. But if we each did strive to make that tiny dent, then our combined efforts might make a big dent in the problem. There’s no shortage of problems we can focus on.

Perhaps all we do is start out by thinking of and praying for all those who need help. Maybe staying aware of the need will put us in the right place at the right time to act. Like the expert, most of us know the rules. And like the expert we often find ourselves hoping for clarification. I can’t tell you the “how”, but I can tell you the “who”. Who is your neighbor deserving of your love and mercy? Everyone, that’s who. So if you are looking for who not to love, there is no one fitting that description.

Have a great week! :o) Linda