By Todd Barrier  

This past week we began a series on what it means to be a good neighbor. We started by looking at the story of The Good Samaritan, Luke 10:29-37.  

We saw how Jesus answered the question of “Who is my neighbor?” by telling this story. The Samaritan – who would have been considered an enemy by the Jewish people – helped the injured man, which illustration Jesus used to show that a neighbor doesn’t ignore someone in need.  

We also have a couple of other people in this story – people you would expect to help the man in need, a Levite and a priest. Both of these people ignored the man, walked on by.  

They might have been afraid or just unwilling to help, but they should have done what the Samaritan did, which was to help. Whatever their reasoning was, Jesus let it be known they weren’t doing the right thing because He called the Samaritan the neighbor and not them.  

So, in this story, we not only learn that a neighbor doesn’t ignore someone in need but also that a neighbor doesn’t deny someone is in need.  

We might get uncomfortable or not understand a person’s plight, but when someone is in need, we shouldn’t let our preconceived notions cause us to dismiss or deny the fact that someone needs help.  

Are you being a good neighbor?