A lawyer wanted to test Jesus.  So he stood up and asked, who was his neighbor?  In the typical fashion of Jesus, he answered back with questions: "What is written in the law?  What do you read there?"

The lawyer answered, probably with confidence and assurance.

"You shall the love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself" (Luke 10:27).

But the lawyer wanted more.  So, he asked the question again. 

Jesus answered with the story of the Good Samaritan – a story we’ve heard often:

A man is beaten, stripped, robbed, and left for the dead.  A priest and a Levite both saw him, but passed by on the opposite side of the road.

Then came a Samaritan.  The Samaritan bandaged him, cared for him, took him to an inn, and told the innkeepers to care for the man.  The Samaritan would return to pay any further debt.

In Biblical times, the Samaritans were outcasts.  Though they were Jewish, the Jews of Jerusalem thought that the Jews of Samaria were not the chosen ones.  They were less important and insignificant.  We often do this to people in our own society.  We associate with those people who are like us or have the same beliefs as us.  We do not step outside our comfort zones to be neighbors to others of different cultures, races, or faiths, like the Samaritan did.

The outcast of this society, the Samaritan --the one who showed mercy -- was the neighbor. 

As we try to live out our Christian faith, and as we work for love, peace and justice as Jesus taught us to do, we need to ask:

• Who is our neighbor?  We live in a community and world of many different religions!

• What does it mean to be a neighbor to people of different faiths?  It's a challenge to live together, to respect each other, and to work together for a better world!

• What can we learn from our neighbors?  Just as the Samaritan showed mercy and what it meant to be a neighbor, people of other faiths can be examples to us Christians.  And we can be examples to them.

Let's Find Out About Others:  Who are Our Neighbors?

On a piece of paper, write down 8-10 countries (from a variety of continents) from which you know people who have recently emigrated to the United States.  If you don't know people from other countries, choose to research countries about which you have recently read.  For instance, if you know a dentist who is Korean or a doctor who is Indian or a teacher who is Somalian, write down the countries from which these people come.    If you have just read about a hurricane in Honduras or refugees from Kosovo, write down the names of these countries.     
 

• Go to http://www.infoplease.com/countries.html .  What are the major religions of these countries.
   

•   Write the religions on post-it notes or cards and stick these on the country you have researched.
   

•  You've only looked at 8-10 countries and  based your research on people you know who have recently immigrated.  See what the diversity of religions and experiences we have coming to this country!  Imagine all the people you don't know!