The dictionary defines the word neighbor as “one living or located near another”. By this definition, anyone who lives near you or is located close to you is your neighbor. The Bible also has a definition of the word neighbor and it may not be what you think it is. In Luke 10 25-29, we see the following take conversation take place between a pharisee and Jesus.

“Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Here we see the pharisee ask Jesus to define who a neighbor is and Jesus goes on to talk about the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:30-35. After Jesus describes the parable of the good Samaritan, which we already know is about the story of three people who could have helped an injured man on the road and only the good Samaritan helped him. Jesus asks the pharisee this question (in Luke 10-36-37) after the parable. “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Jesus here clearly defines what a neighbor should be like to someone. They should be helpful and willing to help out their fellow neighbors whenever they can and not be selfish. Now what is interesting is the that parable was about a good samaritan and not a good Jew. It is a well-known fact that the Jews despised the Samaritans during that time for well-known reasons. So to make the Samaritan the hero of the story was deliberately done by Jesus to drive home the point that even those you hate can be a neighbor to someone.

We see in  Matthew 5:43-48 Jesus even further drives home the point of who your neighbor should be. “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

So what does it really mean to love your neighbor as yourself?  According to Jesus loving your neighbor doesn’t mean that we should only help those we like but also help those who might even be our enemy. The only way this can happen is if you don’t have hatred in your heart for anyone because of their color, ethnicity, or background or even for that reason what they might have said or done to you.  They are to be loved the same way you expect to love yourself. As Christians, if we can pray for love in our hearts then that will replace the hatred we have for someone and it can be replaced with the love of God. We are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Is this hard teaching? Yes, it is. This is why it is hard to be a Christian but that is what Jesus wants us to do to be mature Christians.