Our Neighbor

 

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK

OUR NEIGHBOR

Mark 12:29-31

29 "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.   30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'   31 The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." 

NIV

Having considered loving God, we turn our attention to loving our neighbor as ourselves. What seems really obvious is how much we love ourselves. Which of us would ever do any harm to ourselves, at least purposefully? In all reality, we actually do not know if we are doing ourselves any harm by what we eat or don’t eat, or the lack of exercise or whatever. But the idea is that we do not try to cause ourselves any harm or inflict guilt and unforgiveness upon ourselves. We may even make good excuses for ourselves when we do that which we should not be doing. So to that point, we are alright we ourselves, we love ourselves in that sense. So then we would be of the same opinion toward our neighbors. We would not purposefully cause them any harm, but rather always trust them and protect them, or rather protect their honor. We would never gossip about any neighbor, for that is harmful to their character. We are certainly in no position to judge them in any way, for who of us could cast that first stone? How would we ever think of them as anyone of less integrity than ourselves? How could we think more highly of ourselves than them? How could we ever be rude to them, or on the other hand envious or jealous of them? Are we not all equal in the eyes of God and therefore then we should see ourselves and our neighbors as equals. Of course, the question is as to who is our neighbor? Jesus was asked that question and he answers with the parable regarding the injured man along the road and who had mercy on him, which was the Good Samaritan, rather than the other two who passed him by. So then although the Greek word used here for a neighbor could imply a close friend, or fellow or a Christian, it can also be used as simply another man, a countryman, another person living in the same country or we could extend that to the same earth. Our fellow human beings are our neighbors that therefore there is no room for hatred toward anyone, although it seems we are witnessing an increasing amount of that by so many. Our world has gone farther and farther away from God and we are seeing more and more hatred, even coming from those who are supposed to be leaders of this country. All love for one another has seemed to vanish and we cannot allow that infection to infiltrate into our lives. Just as we are eager to have a vaccine against some virus that has the possibility to kill us, this infection of hatred will kill us in another way. The only vaccine against this virus of hatred that has infected the world is the word of God, and his love for us, that we might love others. We have considered all that fruit of the Spirit as being for others, more than for ourselves, that fruit is love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control. So then it would be or should be easy to love our neighbor, for we have the love of God dwelling in us, lest we forget that we are but sinners saved by grace.