All means all.
"But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, 'And who is my neighbor?'"
(Luke 10:29)
We live in a very small world. Oh, geographically, it's quite large. Most of us will only experience a mere fraction of its surface area. But relationally, we've grown quite close recently. Part of that is the development (and ubiquitousness) of technology. We can connect with people all over the globe in an instant. Part of it is also travel opportunities - more people are traveling abroad than ever before. So we do live in a small world.
Why is it, then, that some of us want to keep the world "big." Meaning, "this is mine, that's your. Stay away!" And yet, every time I've traveled abroad (Germany, Japan, England, the Philippines, etc.), I've been touched by how gracious, loving, and hospitable most of the people I've met have been to me.
We live in a small world.
Today's scripture passage is from one of the most famous of all of Jesus' parables. it's affectionately known as "The Good Samaritan" (though Jesus never actually titled his parables). Most of us know the basic plot line: a guy gets beaten up and left for dead on the roadside... 2 religious folks pass right on by... a Samaritan (think 'hated foreigner' to most Jews) not only stops to help, but also takes the man to an inn and pays the tab in advance! Great story, right?!? But do you remember WHY Jesus told this in the first place?
A lawyer was "testing" Jesus (Luke 10:25) about "eternal life." They got to discussing the most important commandments: "Love God with all you have, and love your neighbor as yourself." Jesus commended him for knowing these vital truths. Then Luke tells us, "But wanting to justify himself, (the lawyer) asked Jesus, 'And who is my neighbor?'" The bottom line is he probably wasn't really wanting to know who his neighbor was, as much as he wanted to know who his neighbor WASN'T! "Do neighbors constitute those living on my own block? In my own city? In my own province/region/state? Fellow Israelites? Fellow Jews? In short, Jesus... who can I exclude from 'neighbor status'?"
Jesus' parable reminds us that everyone is our neighbor. EVERYONE. This is other countries... those with other ideologies... those with other political persuasions... those with other lifestyle choices... those in other socio-economic situations... everyone is our neighbor.
All means all.
If we truly want to be living into God's Kingdom on earth, then we need to be the ones to start acting like everyone is our neighbor.