When you hear the word neighbor, who comes to mind? Maybe it is the person who lives next door, the family across the street, or someone you wave to while getting the mail. That is how most of us understand the word. But Jesus stretched the meaning of neighbor far beyond an address, a street, or a shared community.
Many of us remember Mister Rogers singing, “Won’t you be my neighbor?” There was something simple and comforting about that question. It made being a neighbor sound kind, safe, and welcoming.
Yet real life does not always feel that way. Sometimes people who live near one another struggle to get along. Fear, anger, misunderstanding, and prejudice can turn ordinary relationships into painful ones. That is why the question matters: what does it truly mean to be a neighbor?
Jesus gave an answer that was simple enough for anyone to understand, yet powerful enough to challenge every heart.
I remember reading a heartbreaking story about an elderly man from Mexico who was visiting family in California. He was simply out for a walk when he was attacked and told to “go back to your country.” Thankfully, a passerby stopped and called for help. Still, it is painful to think about. How does someone look at another human being and see only where they are from instead of seeing a father, grandfather, friend, or loved one?
That story brought me back to the parable of the Good Samaritan. One day, a religious expert asked Jesus which commandment was the greatest. Jesus answered that we are to love God with everything in us and love our neighbor as ourselves. Then the man asked a follow-up question: “Who is my neighbor?”
I love that Jesus did not answer with a long lecture. He told a story. A man had been beaten, robbed, and left on the side of the road. Two religious men saw him and kept walking. Then a Samaritan came along. He stopped, cleaned the man’s wounds, took him to safety, and even paid for his care.
That detail matters. Jews and Samaritans did not get along. There was a long history of tension, dislike, and distrust between them. Many listeners would not have expected the Samaritan to be the hero of the story. But Jesus made him the example of mercy, compassion, and real love.
That is where the lesson reaches us today. My neighbor is not only the person who looks like me, talks like me, worships like me, or comes from the same place I do. My neighbor is the person God places in my path who needs compassion.
Sometimes being a neighbor is not dramatic. It may be helping someone who is short a few dollars at the grocery store. It may be holding the door for a tired parent with a crying child. It may be checking on someone who seems lonely. It may be speaking up when someone is being treated unfairly. Small acts of love still matter, especially in a world where so many people feel unseen.
Love and prejudice cannot peacefully live in the same heart. If we say we love God, we cannot treat some people as though they matter less. James 2:1-9 reminds us not to show favoritism, but to live by the royal law: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” In everyday language, that means seeing people the way God sees them and treating them with the care, respect, and mercy we would want for ourselves.
So today, maybe the better question is not, “Who is my neighbor?” Maybe the better question is, “Am I willing to be a neighbor?”
Minister A Francine Green