Reject Apathy: Love Your Neighbor
By Paul Basden
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God has a solution
36 "Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?" 37 Jesus replied, "'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Matthew 22:36-39)
Pay all your debts, except the debt of love for others. You can never finish paying that! If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill all the requirements of God's law. (Romans 13:8)
For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." (Galatians 5:14)
But it doesn’t have to be that way … what we need today is for J to speak some truth into our lives (Luke 10:25-37)
25 One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: "Teacher, what must I do to receive eternal life?" 26 Jesus replied, "What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?" 27 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.'" 28 "Right!" Jesus told him. "Do this and you will live!" 29 The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" 30 Jesus replied with an illustration: "A Jewish man was traveling on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes and money, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. 31 By chance a Jewish priest came along; but when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32 A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. 33 Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt deep pity. 34 Kneeling beside him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with medicine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two pieces of silver and told him to take care of the man. 'If his bill runs higher than that,' he said, 'I'll pay the difference the next time I am here.' 36 Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?" Jesus asked. 37 The man replied, "The one who showed him mercy." Then Jesus said, "Yes, now go and do the same." (Luke 10:25-37)
Parable of the Good Samaritan
1. Place
2. People
3. Punch line
Jesus asked a counter-question: not “Who is your neighbor?” but “Who acts like a neighbor?”
How to reject apathy
1. “Who is my neighbor?”
- Anyone in your traffic pattern who’s in need (near neighbor)
- Anyone outside your traffic pattern who’s in need (far neighbor)
- Anyone who needs you!
2. “How can I be a neighbor to those who need me?” (How can I show mercy?)
- Mercy begins in your head and heart:
- reject apathy and choose empathy
- Mercy moves to your hands and feet
God has an order of response to loving your neighbor:
- Family (front line of mercy)
- Church (second line of mercy)
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has appointed me to preach Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the downtrodden will be freed from their oppressors, and that the time of the Lord's favor has come.” (Luke 4:18-19)
- State (third line of mercy)
How to get started:
1. Show and tell
2. Go and do
Books to open your eyes and soften your heart (available in the Resource Bookstore):
- Just Courage, by Gary Haugen,
- Ministries of Mercy: The Call of the Jericho Road, by Tim Keller
- The Externally Focused Life, by Rick Rusaw and Eric Swanson
- The Hole in Our Gospel, by Richard Stearns
