An inspiring reflection on how to love your neighbour as yourself.
1 Jan, 2021
Jesus said: âA man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.
So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.
He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. âLook after him,â he said, âand when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.â
âWhich of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?â The expert in the law replied, âThe one who had mercy on him.â
Jesus told him, âGo and do likewise.â
Loving your neighbour as yourself is something we all want to do. Itâs the second greatest commandment. And one of the most quoted verses in the Bible.
Mark 12:30-31: âLove the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.â The second is this: âLove your neighbour as yourself.â There is no commandment greater than these.
But in a world full of need, it can feel like an overwhelming call. If Iâm honest, I struggle to follow Jesusâ call to love my neighbour as much as I love myself.
But praise God, He is grace-filled and compassionate as we learn the lesson of how to love others again and again. Thankfully He gives us His word, including the Good Samaritan story, which gives us powerful and practical lessons about how to love our neighbour:
The Good Samaritan was moved in his soul by the need in front of his eyes. When he saw the stranger, he took pity on him - he didnât just look away.
This is exactly what Jesus did - He saw the need of others:
Loving the Lord God with all our heart means allowing Him to touch our emotions and saturate our soul with compassion. This way, when we encounter brokenness, the love of Christ wells up in us and we respond rather than retreat.
Reflect: When you encounter broken humanity, do you close your eyes out of fear or open your eyes in faith that God can use us to bring healing into someoneâs life?
But it wasnât enough to see the need and have pity, the Good Samaritan chose to answer the manâs cry and take action. The Samaritan was aware of the danger and the inconvenience of helping the robbed man, but he reached out anyway - the parable describes how âhe went to him.â
âOne act saved my lifeâ
âPoverty had told me I am hopeless, I am nothing and I believed that. But right in the middle of this desperation, it was then that Compassion intervened ⊠What joy and dancing filled my home at the news that Iâd finally got a sponsor. One act and one teenager changed my life.â
At Compassion, we give people the opportunity to take action against poverty and sponsor a child in extreme need. Sponsoring a child is a powerful way of helping your global neighbour.
It gives a child born into vulnerability the stability of nutritious food, healthcare, education and the lifeline of a local church-based Compassion project where theyâre known and loved.
Reflect: Itâs one thing to have faith but the The Bible tells us that, âfaith without deeds is deadâ. What simple and decisive action can you take to help the poor today?
The Good Samaritan wasnât hindered by the fact he was different to the man in need, he simply had a heart to make a difference to him.
I have clear memories of hearing the command âlove thy neighbourâ in Sunday School and singing âwhen I needed a neighbour were you thereâ in primary school.
At the time I always thought Jesus was calling me to show love to my next door neighbour. But our neighbour isnât just the person next door. Our neighbour is the person God has placed right in front us. And no matter how different, how inconvenient or how unexpected, weâre asked to love.
The Good Samaritan was willing to cross political, racial, cultural and social barriers and risk prejudices and the fear of the unknown because he saw someone with a need and he had the resources to meet that need.
Reflect: How can you help your neighbour? Both the person in need on your doorstep and your global neighbour who youâve never met. What has God placed in your hand to help the poor?
Verses 34-35 of the parable tell us that the Good Samaritan didnât just patch up the injured man on the side of the road and move on.
Instead, he put him on his donkey and took him to an inn where he took care of him. Whatâs more, he was willing to pay the price by giving two dayâs wages and then promising to pay for any further expenses when he came back.
So often when we seek to love people we start off with good intentions but we struggle to follow through. Instead of becoming half-hearted, we need God to do a work in our lives: when we love God with all our strength we will follow through in our commitment by doing whatever it takes.
Reflect: Are you already helping the poor and loving your neighbour? Donât give up, even when things get tough. If you already sponsor a child with Compassion, donât give up on that child. Press through, and just as you started well, finish well.
At Compassion, we hear incredible stories of the selfless love shown time and again by our incredible project staff and the children in the Compassion programme. Thanks to child sponsorship, children who were born into poverty are empowered not just to overcome poverty themselves, but bring change to their families and communities.
It was a cool day in Kenya, near Homa Bay, an eastern inlet of Lake Victoria. Mosesâ mother was given a food parcel packed with sugar, flour, oil, beans, rice, tea and a box of biscuits â essential items for a family that often struggled to gather together enough food for one meal a day.
Seeing other hungry children around him, Moses was moved with compassion. Without thinking, he took one of the packets of biscuits from the box and started giving them out to his neighbours. It was as if there was no question in his mind â if he had something and his friends did not, the obvious next step would be to share it.
Magnim owned only one skirt, a second-hand t-shirt and a pair of shoes when she was registered into Compassionâs Child Sponsorship Programme. A special financial gift from her sponsor soon changed that, though! Her parents used the money to buy their little girl some new clothes.
The brightly patterned dresses looked beautiful on her. But as thrilled as Mangim was, she wished her friends had new clothes to wear, too. On Sundays, they wore their school uniforms to church: the only clothes they had. Wanting to bless her friends too, she insisted on giving away five of her new clothes â half of what she owned â to her friends. They were overwhelmed at her generosity.
âIt takes only love to do that because even for us adults it is difficult to share our goods with our friends,â says Esso, mum to one of Magnimâs friends. âMagnimâs gesture is an act of love.â
You may also be interested in:
WORDS : Becca Stanley, Tim Robertson
PHOTOS : Compassion International