Love Your Neighbor // Galatians 5:14

Galatians 5:14 in its entirety reads, “For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: Love your neighbor as yourself.‘” Jesus taught in the parable of the Good Samaritan that your neighbor is anyone to whom you can show kindness and mercy (Luke 10:27). That was because there were some then — just as there are today — who wanted to split hairs as to what constituted a neighbor. The Lord’s point is it has nothing to do with geography, time zones, socioeconomic class, or anything else we might use to delineate or discriminate. The “expert” in the Law who asked the question prompting Jesus’ telling of the parable was given a charge and challenge by the Lord: “go and do likewise.” I think that’s excellent advice. We will undoubtedly encounter all kinds of people who live in our self-defined circles, as well as those who do not. What makes someone a neighbor is our ability to show kindness and mercy to each and every person. That, my friend, is limitless. So, may we do as the “expert” was challenged to go and do likewise. Shall we? Let’s go!