This is the central theme of the entire Bible. Love. God so loved the world that He gave. It was listed with a bunch of other laws in the Old Testament; right along with "Do not steal" and "Do not lie" it says "Do not bear a grudge...but love your neighbor as yourself" (Lev. 19:11, 18). It is repeated by Jesus in the New Testament days stating that loving your neighbor as yourself is second only to loving God. He emphasizes it by saying that all the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commands (Matt. 22:37-40).
So I'm thinking it's pretty important. We've all probably heard the story of the Good Samaritan--it's one of the stories told by Jesus. It's a story He told when He was asked to clarify "neighbor." An expert in the law (of God) asked this question because he wanted to justify himself (Luke 10:29). Is my neighbor those who live where I live, who live like I live, who believe like I believe, whose race is the same as mine, whose social standing is similar to me? Instead of simply giving an answer Jesus told a story...
"A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite [a religious leader], when he came to the place and saw him passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan [who was an outcast of that day], as he traveled came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'"
Then He asked the expert in the law His own question--"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"
I ask you today, What kind of neighbor are you? If the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love, what are your actions saying about your faith? Are they saying love?
The lawyer replied to Jesus, "The one who had mercy on him."
And Jesus says to us today as he said to the lawyer in that day, "Go and do likewise."
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