Week 3: Who Is My Neighbor?

Scripture Reading: Luke 10:25–37 NLT

The Most Important Commandment

One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?”

The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

“Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!”

The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Parable of the Good Samaritan

Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.

“By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.

“Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’

“Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.

The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.”

Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”

Devotional Reading:

The question isn’t who your neighbor is—it’s will you be one. The parable of the Good Samaritan isn’t just about generosity; it’s about identity. The religious elite in the story walked past the hurting man. The Samaritan—socially rejected and culturally marginalized—became the model of neighborly love.

Jesus redefines our mission field. It’s not limited to our zip code, our race, or even our comfort zone. Your neighbor is the single mom down the street, the teen battling anxiety, the grumpy coworker, the person who cut you off in traffic. Being a neighbor is less about proximity and more about posture.

When Jesus said, “Go and do likewise,” He wasn’t issuing a suggestion. He was revealing the radical nature of kingdom love—love that crosses boundaries, breaks barriers, and meets needs with no strings attached.

Closing Prayer:

Jesus, help me see beyond labels and appearances. Show me how to love those I would normally overlook. Teach me to be a neighbor who brings hope and healing. Amen.

Serve Week Challenge:

Go out of your way to serve someone unexpected. Deliver a meal, mow a lawn, pay for coffee—show up in an unlikely place with unexpected kindness.

Reflection Questions:

• Who have you unintentionally excluded from your idea of “neighbor”?
  

• How does Jesus challenge social norms in the story of the Good Samaritan?
  

• What’s one way you can become more interruptible in your daily routine?
  

• How might God use your inconvenience for someone else’s breakthrough?
  

• What kind of neighbor do you want to be known as?