“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
- Luke 10:36
 
To paraphrase one of our most famous modern philosophers: “Neighbor is as neighbor does.” When Christians behave badly, we fail to live out our calling to be loving neighbors to the people who God has placed in our lives.
 
In the parable of the Good Samaritan (which we looked at yesterday), the priest and the Levite failed to be neighbors to the injured man. They would have shared significant religious and ethnic identity markers. They probably would have enjoyed spending time together under happier circumstances. But in the challenge of the moment, they dropped the ball.
 
All of us who follow Jesus will fail as neighbors from time to time.
 
We will be too wrapped up in our own selfish, self-importance to connect or care or have compassion. We will be overly self-protective. We will fail.
 
What will we do when we fail?
 
The good news in Jesus Christ is that God’s acceptance of us doesn’t depend on our performance for him. The priest and the Levite in the story were beaten by their un-neighborliness just as surely as the traveler was beaten by the robbers. But there’s hope for them too.
 
Jesus has proven to be a good neighbor to us. He didn’t cross the street to avoid us. He picked us up. He paid the price for our care and healing. And he will stick with us throughout our long recovery process.
 
Throughout history, Jesus has proven a good neighbor to zealots and holy-rollers, to fundamentalists and liberals, to progressives and conservatives, and to us. No one is beyond the reach of God’s amazing grace.
 
When have you failed to live the out God’s call to love your neighbor as yourself? Take time to repent and ask God for forgiveness. Ask the Holy Spirit to bless you with a deep awareness of God’s mercy and grace to you. Ask for direction if you need to apologize or make reparation.