They’ll Know It when They See It – The Kingdom Curriculum XVI (5)

They’ll Know It when They See It

The second great commandment

“And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:39

“Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.” Luke 10:36, 37

What Everybody Knows, but Few Accept

This self-righteous lawyer who posed the question about neighbors to our Lord Jesus shows us an important truth: even the hardest of heart know what a real neighbor looks like. This man was not concerned for the Kingdom of God, or the ministry of Jesus, or any other such noble or spiritual thing. He was merely seeking “to justify himself” (v. 29). But when Jesus put the question to him about which was the true neighbor, he didn’t hesitate.

Everybody knows what true neighborliness looks like. Everyone knows we should be more loving, caring, sensitive, compassionate, and generous. Everyone knows this. But very few accept the responsibility of putting what they know into practical action steps, day by day. This is where the follower of Christ has a real opportunity to shine like the sun in a dark and self-centered age.

After all, we have the Word of God to equip us for every good work (2 Tim. 3:15-17). We have the Law of God to show us what is holy and righteous and good (Rom. 7:12) and the Spirit of God to guide us into all the Law (Ezek. 36:26, 27). We have the power of God’s indwelling Spirit and the example of Jesus to help us live for Him (Acts 2:8). And we have a community of exemplars that reaches back to the apostles and all the way up to our most admired Christian friends. We’ve got it all, everything needed to begin seeking our neighbors with the love of God! What are we waiting for?

The more we practice neighborliness to the people around us, and to the needy people around the world, the more we will stand out as being different in a way that everybody knows they should be as well. This will open up wonderful opportunities to explain why we practice what others only think about. And that, too, will be a glorious exercise of our neighborly responsibilities.

Order your copy of The Law of God and The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.MyParuchia.com, point your browser to “Publications,” then click on the drop-down option, “Waxed Tablet Publications.”

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore.

T.M. Moore is editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001,2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Editor’s note: The use of a translation other than the Authorised Version in an article does not constitute an endorsement in whole or in part by The Christian Observer.