WHO IS MY NEIGHBOUR?

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22830, 14 March 1936, Page 7

WHO IS MY NEIGHBOUR?

Written for the Otago Daily Times Bv the Rev. D. Gakd.nek Miller.

I often sit amazed at the marvellous ease ami felicity of Jesus in answering questions, lie is never ruffled, though He can be stern. Whenever He wishes lo make some great truth stand out clearly, He tells a story about it. And do you know anybody wiio can tell .stories quite like Him? 1 don't. His stories are perfect and so wondrously human that they appeal to everybody. Some of His stories will never be forgotten. Even people who make no pretence of being followers of Josu.s know these stories. They have won their way into the heart of mankind. One of them i.s the story of the Good Samaritan. Who doesn't know it? It's loved everywhere. Yet not a single name is mentioned in it. No particulars are given of the private lives of,the characters. Yet these characters live and we can see them almost any day round about us. But J am rather afraid that most of us don't realise that the story was told a s a reply to an argumentative lawyer. This lawyer was a clever chap; he rather fancied he could corner Jesus and so he asked what he must do to have eternal life. Now be knew quite well what the answer would be. (You'll find the question and answer in Luke, chapter 10.) And Jesus gave him the expected answer. As quick as lightning came back the retort, "And who is my neighbour? But he reckoned without his host. Jesus told a story that has for ever and ever answered the question. You will notice that, first of all. it is about eternal life the lawyer wanted to know, " Love God and love your neighbour," said Jesus. The first part of the answer, " Love God," gave the man no difficulty, but he didn't know, until Jesus told him. that you simply cannot love God without at the same time loving your neighbour. I rather think the world has not quite grasped the implications of that yet. Jesus cut right through any notion that neighbourliness is confined within your own nationality or creed. There are no " foreigners" to Christ. A neighbour is the man who is needing your help, no matter his pedigree or predicament. A man's a man; the colour of skin, the manner of speech, the habits and outlook arc all incidentals. They don't matter in the long run. What does matter is that the common humanity that is in all ot us is the quality with which God has bound us all together, and we abuse it at our very grave peril. Now, that was a lesson tlic countrymen of Jesus needed verv much to learn. Strange—is it not? —that these countrymen of Jesus are being treated as unwanted foreigners m the so-called Christian nation of Germany to-day! The Jew had to learn—and that from the greatest of their race, though He was born in a stable—that the Gentile, the foreigner, was of value. 'Joday tons of thousands of Jews arc claiming—and rightly claiming—the rights and mercies of the civilisation they have helped to build. The positions have been reversed. . It interests mo intensely to see now Jesus, in this story, is insisting on the fact that sympathy and .practical help to man as man is a necessary quality in that state of being we call eternal life. You cannot love God—or say you do—and at the same time be superior.

We are told that there are 12 gates that lead into the Eternal City and that each gate is always open. I don t know that these gates have names. If they have I am sure one of them must be Mercy. " I stood outside the gate and Mercy let me in." . Notice how Jesus turned the tables on this argumentative lawyer and compelled him to answer his own question: He that showed mercy." Were it not for mercy where would anv of us be? Mercy, that' lovely quality of God, that never discriminates but pours itself out upon all the needy, simply because they need. Irrespective of race, creed, clan or colour. Mercy pours in the oil and wine to those whom the enemies of life have wounded. And so a second quality emerges in this matter of eternal life. We cannot love God unless we love our neighbours, and our neighbours are those who helplessly await our attention and mercy. If you really love, says Jesus,, you have, eternal life, but your love must not be selfish, it must be ready to stoop down to the dirty roadway and help, without stint, those who have been wounded. . It is no use clainunsz any privilege, either of class or position. The priest and the Levite, in the story, who passed by, were no doubt on their way to the Temple, God's House, to perform their vows and do their duties. Is it not terrible that you can be so long about God s work that vou have no time for your ncichbour's terrible plight? Eternal life, according.to this great human story of Jesus is having in you that quality of lif e _G o d's life—that will be merciful, and tender, to those in need without asking questions and without thinking you are superior. EJernal life does not mean endlessness. It is a quality of life, not quantity. It is the life of God in you. here and now. which will have free, and uninterrupted communion with the Divine in the Hereafter. It can be expressed most surely, here and now. by the gracious quality of mercy which is always readv to succour the needy. _ W 7 ho is my neighbour? Mv neighbour is the one who needs Cod, and I can show him God bv my mercy.