Who is My Neighbor?

“But to the two men who had spied out the land, Joshua said, ‘Go into the prostitute’s house and bring out from there the woman and all who belong to her, as you swore to her.’ So the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. And they brought all her relatives and put them outside the camp of Israel. And they burned the city with fire, and everything in it…but Rahab the prostitute and her father’s household and all who belonged to her, Joshua saved alive.”

Joshua 6:22-25

God has a way of constantly subverting expectations in the Old Testament, often in the way he saves his people. It seems odd that God would rescue a prostitute, especially given all of the laws against sexual immorality we read about early in the Books of the Law. God not only saves Rahab, but all of the people that she brought into her home with her. Rahab is faithful to God and the Israelites in her promises, and God is likewise faithful to rescue her and her family. We can only imagine the reaction of the people to learning that God not only saved someone who wasn’t an Israelite from “devoted destruction”, but that it was a prostitute and her family, no less. 

How often do we count out people who we deem unworthy of being a part of the kingdom of God? Who are we guilty of discrediting? It is easy for us, especially those of us who have been a part of church culture for many years, to let legalism creep in and try to determine who may or may not be fit for ministry, or even entry to the kingdom based on our own worldly expectations. While we know that sin does separate us from God, it is important that we do not elevate past or current sin over the power of God to reach someone’s heart.

We also can be guilty of discrediting those who do things differently than us. Just because cultural or societal variations exist does not mean they are wrong. If we continue in these thought patterns, it is easy to create an “us vs. them” mentality, where we are no longer sharing the gospel or gently correcting theology, but rather we are demanding believers and nonbelievers do things the exact same way we do for the sake of…tradition? Ritual? Heroism? While these ideas may not be ill-intended, they are not Biblical. And the Word of God should always be our ultimate frame of reference, not our own biased customs and institutions.

Read Luke 10:25-37

Jesus continued the pattern seen in the Old Testament of subverting expectations, both in his ministry and in the parables he told, as seen in this passage. The lawyer in this story was only “desiring to justify himself” (v. 29), but Jesus had a signature way of getting to the heart of the matter in a subtle yet divisive way. Jesus knew the man’s intentions, and used the man’s assumed ethnic bias to demonstrate the true cost of loving one’s neighbor—which was to show compassion towards everyone from a posture of humility, regardless of who they are or what they’ve done. It is tempting for us to look at nonbelievers and believers in different cultures or countries and assume that they need our help in order to “fix” them. But the truth is, we all need to be fixed, and the only one who can repair our broken parts is Jesus. No amount of altering music style, dress, or orders of operation will get anyone into heaven. The true followers of Christ are not known by how uniform their practice is, but by their love for one another (John 13:35).

Take some time to reflect on your own beliefs and perhaps even subconscious thoughts. Are you guilty of looking down on people who practice their faith in a different way? Are there things you wish they would change, not out of a desire for a more unified body through Biblical teaching, but rather to fit your own preferences?

Are there any unbelievers in your life that you’ve written off because you believe their sin or past is too great a barrier to keep them from Christ? Spend time in prayer asking God to change your heart. Ask Him for belief in His ability alone to overcome the world, no matter how far gone someone might be in it, and for His eyes to see others the way He sees them.

Photo by Jacob Culp on Unsplash