Who Is My Neighbor?

Veggie Tales: Are You My Neighbor? begs the question in the title– just who is our neighbor?  Is it just those that we like or are like, or is it also those that are unlike us.  And unlike us in what ways?

The story of the Good Samaritan is powerful on many levels– but the one that I don’t think we’ll every understand (comprehend, yes, understand, no) is the level of the hatred of the Samaritan and the power of what he did.  That he would do what the Priest and the Levite would not was a stinging rebuke to the questioner, and with that answer Jesus took their world and turned it upside down.

Who is my neighbor?  It’s the one that stole things off my porch, that built his fence up against my garage, or that smokes in his back yard.  It’s the ones that throw stones at my kids, throw trash on my lawn, or emit noise pollution from their home.  God wants me to love them.  He wants me to minister to them.  He wants me to help meet their needs.

Who is your neighbor?