Try the latest Words of Life as Spotify Podcasts.

Tip: To see latest Words of Life, use Refine Search to list by Year. If using Mobile device, Refine Search may be located at end of page.

This reply to a question put by Jesus while on earth after He had spoken the parable of the Good Samaritan, in answer to a question put to Him in Verse 29 – “But he willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?” This question came about because this man had displayed his knowledge of God’s word in declaring what it had said on how man could inherit eternal life, in declaring, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.” Today we too can still make this statement, but do we, like that man, also try to justify ourselves by deciding in our mind who we choose to call our neighbours?

In the days of Christ, it was easy for them to know their neighbour, for to them the world they knew would have been only that area near-by, but even in those days there were people whom they accepted and those whom they did not. The Samaritans were looked upon in scorn by the Jews and that is why Jesus used that parable so that the man could see clearly the definition of the question, “Which now of these three thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves.” The man was forced to answer, “He that showed mercy on him.” Today we often hear the saying that the world is getting smaller — meaning that through the advancement of technology we know almost immediately what is happening anywhere in the world, and in a very, short time one can travel around the world. Now this raises the question, “Who then is my neighbour?” We cannot have the advantages of all this technology and at the same time have the luxury of choosing who we want as our neighbour.

The Prophet Zechariah in Chapter 3, 519 years before Christ came into the earth, prophesied that God would send his Servant the Branch, which is Christ, who would in one day remove the iniquity of that land, and from then on “saith the Lord of Hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour.” We see in the natural how this has fulfilled itself, but in the spiritual sense, have we, who have accepted Christ as our Lord, also accepted his word? – And when we see our neighbour in distress, no matter where in the world, do we try to find an excuse, or do we accept the commandment, “Go and do thou likewise”?

We must also then remember that we, too, are then seen as neighbour to others, and if we are in distress, we should also be prepared to accept help from others.