Who is my neighbor?

What do you remember about our story from yesterday?

²⁹ But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

³⁰ In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹ A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. ³² So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

Luke 10:29-32

The expert in the law had asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus asked him what the law said and he replied "Love God... and love your neighbor...". Perhaps this expert in the law was thinking loving God is easy and the people next door they're not too bad. But there's some people down the street from me that I don't like too much. I wonder if I need to love them too. Maybe I'd better get some clarification on this.

Jesus started to answer this question of who is my neighbor by seemingly NOT answering his question. Who was the man going from Jerusalem? Jesus doesn't say who he was or why he was in Jerusalem (worshiping at the temple, working in Jerusalem, or was he a merchant?) or why he was going to Jericho (did he live there, was he just visiting, was he trying to sell things there?) - He just says what happened to him: He got mugged. He was robbed, beaten, and left at the side of the road. We read of two men who passed him by: a priest and a Levite. Both of these men likely had been serving in the temple and were perhaps on their way home to Jericho. Yet both of these men passed by on the other side of the road!

• What did the man who was robbed need?
• Did the priest and the Levite notice the man who had been robbed?
• Do you suppose they "rubber-necked" as they walked by?
  • What do you suppose was on their minds as they passed by?
  • Why might they have chosen not to help this man?
  • How do you react when you see people in need?
• Does it seem like Jesus is answering the question "who is my neighbor"?