“And who is my neighbor?” That was the response when Jesus told his questioner that the whole law was summed up in the command to love the Lord our God and to love our neighbor. We know who the Lord is, but who is our neighbor?

As he often does in the Gospels, Jesus answered this question with a parable. In Luke 10:29-37, Jesus answers with the famous Parable of the Good Samaritan. This is a striking story because in it, Jesus tears down so many of his culture’s preconceived notions. Neighbors aren’t defined by proximity. They aren’t determined by social status or affinity. Our neighbor is the one who needs our mercy, whoever they might be.

It seems to me that the lawyer was asking about his neighbor to be dodgy. He was looking for a loophole so he knew who he did and didn’t have to love. And, unfortunately for him, Jesus gave him no such loophole. But as I think about how we as the church can love the poor, I find myself with the same question as this lawyer. Who is my neighbor?

As I think about the poor, I realize that my lack of mercy often comes from a lack of relationships. The sad truth is that I often don’t see the poor in our community. I walk past them on the Jericho road, not from a lack of compassion, but because I am oblivious to them. I don’t actually see their need in the first place. Do you know what that’s like?

One of the things that Jesus calls us to do in this parable is look to the side of the road. If the Samaritan hadn’t been looking, he would have missed the wounded man who needed his kindness. Do you know who the poor in our community are? The truth is we see them all the time. We sit behind them at our children’s school events. We pull up next to them at the gas station. We stand behind them in line at the grocery store. Church, do we see them?

The story of the gospel is that we were all on the side of the road. We were the ones stripped, beaten, and left for dead. But in his mercy, Jesus looked for us. He saw us and came to us. He bound our wounds and paid our debts. And now, in Christ, God calls us to go and do likewise. He calls us to love our neighbors as he loves us. That starts when we see them. When we love the poor, we are giving to others as Christ has given to us.

In Him,

Tom