How to Be a Good Neighbor

What is a good neighbor? Have you ever asked yourself this question? Let’s talk about that today.

I love stories, don’t you? There is nothing like a good story to paradoxically provide escape and teach life lessons.

Stories can allow us to step into the shoes of another and live another perspective for a while. They can allow us to be the hero.

Stories can hold our interest for a lesson many times when we fail to listen to the direct approach. Jesus understood this about us. I think that’s why He told so many stories—or parables as the Bible calls them.

One of the things I love about these parables is how relevant—and convicting—they can be even now in our modern world. And one thing that fascinates me is how we still miss the point sometimes.

If you’re like me, then you like to picture yourself as the “hero” of the story. The main character. This is great fun in a normal story.

But in a parable? This can lead to many missed lessons. I forget that in a parable I am usually all of the “characters” at one time or another.

One of those stories that has been coming to mind a lot lately is the one about the good Samaritan. I’m sure you remember it.

Recorded in the book of Luke, there was a lawyer who sought to test Jesus by asking Him what he must do to inherit eternal life. As Jesus did so many times when asked a question, He asked His own.

“What do the Scriptures say?”

The lawyer answers, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus says, “You have answered well. Do this and you’ll live.”

But the lawyer wants more. He wants to justify himself, so he says, “And who is my neighbor?”

So Jesus tells a parable. One about a Jewish man who is traveling. The man is attacked by robbers who left him badly beaten, half dead.

A priest passes by on the road, sees the man, and steps around him to continue on his way.

Then a Levite sees the man and chooses to also leave him there.

Then a Samaritan finds the man—someone who would be most likely to pass by since Jews and Samaritans were enemies. But instead of ignoring him, the Samaritan stops and helps him, even brings him to the next inn, pays for his care, and promises to come back.

The least likely man put himself in harm’s way to help someone who hated him.

I always picture myself as the selfless and kind Samaritan. I want to believe I would have made the same decision in the same circumstances.

While I have made many good decisions to help others, I have also been the righteous priest and Levite who walked by the hurting, the lawyer seeking justification, and even the Jewish man who desperately needed help.

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve been thinking about this parable a lot lately. But I’ve also been thinking about something else. Just as Jesus was so fond of asking his followers and skeptics questions, I keep feeling this question, “Who is my neighbor today in this modern world?”

In the US, we don’t have the same dynamics as the Jews and Samaritans in Jesus’s day. But we have many divides and prejudices still.

Like the priest and the Levite who surely claimed to be godly men, we claim to love others until we walk by different races, socio-economic statuses, political beliefs, nationalities, beliefs, and on and on.

We have people we choose to ignore when we see them beaten down, even sometimes going so far as to say their circumstances are their own fault.

I don’t want to be the priest or the Levite. I want to be the Samaritan.

But how do I change? How can I be a good neighbor?

Thoughts on How to Be a Good Neighbor

#1 – Remember the most important laws.

I’m sure these verses come up a lot. You probably know the ones I mean because they are very closely related to our discussion on being a good neighbor. When Jesus was asked what the most important law was, He answered, but He gave a bonus too: Love God with everything you have inside, and love others—your neighbors—as you do yourselves.

I think these concepts could even be considered over-arching themes of sorts. Of the Bible. Of our purpose in this world.

Because God loves us so much, He paid the ultimate price to restore our relationship with Him. All He wants from us in return is to love Him and others as much as we’re capable and rely on Him for even more.

Why are you praising me with the same mouth you use to curse those made in My image? James 3:9 NASB

#2 – Let go of the “us” and “them” mentality.

Our world can be an overwhelming place. It’s completely natural that we would find comfort in the familiar. It’s just more comfortable to be around others who believe—think and look— as we do.

But that’s not how we’re called to be as Christians. The only “us” there is for us is our brothers and sisters in Christ. The only “them” is those who are still lost, and we are called to reflect the undeserved love we have in Christ for them.

No other label matters.

For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise. Galatians 3:27-29 NASB | HISsparrowBlog

#3 – Remember what we’ve been given.

Sharing this world with other people can be hard sometimes. It can be frustrating, challenging, and even scary. Others can let us down. Hurt us. Annoy us. Confuse us.

But as bad as anyone around me has been, I’ve been just as bad at one time or another. No offense, but I’m guessing the same would be true for you too.

Because, speaking of themes, that is an overarching theme of the Bible. We are all messed up. We all hurt, annoy, confuse, and frustrate those around us.

We just can’t help it sometimes. We react without thinking.

As messed up as we are, though, as much as we’ve hurt the One who loves us, He still treats us with mercy, compassion, and abundance. He still gave us His very self to have a relationship with us.

We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. 1 John 4:19-20 NASB | HISsparrowBlog

This list could go on. I had several things written down. Don’t treat life like a pie. Treat others as more important. Listen.

It could go on forever, but I think everything else I could say falls under one of the three points we’ve discussed already.

Some things in life are so simple. Maybe not easy but simple. Thank goodness, right?

Thank goodness that God simply loves us. Thank goodness that He sacrificed Himself and simply asks us to accept Him. Thank goodness He didn’t instead say, “You’re not worth my time.”

May we remember this humbling truth and love our neighbor like the Samaritan in Jesus’s story—and how God has loved us.

What reminders help you to be a good neighbor? Share in the comments below.