Love Your Neighbor as Yourself: By Nate Williamson

Today is our last message of spirit week and I really have enjoyed having the

chance to share with you every day. We have been breaking down what it means to

love the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. Today though we are going

to look at what it looks like loving our neighbor as ourselves.

One misconception about this statement is that we are to love our neighbors

and not love ourselves. That isn’t what Jesus is saying. In fact, it is the very opposite.

We are to love our neighbors the same way as we love ourselves. Jesus makes sure

we get this clearly in Matthew 7:12, “Do to others whatever you would like them to

do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”

Just think about what you want every day and how you want people to treat

you. You want people to value what you say and think. You want others to be willing

to put you first, to share and be kind. So we can totally understand what Jesus is

saying.

The problem is that Jesus doesn’t say, “love your neighbors like they are

loving you.” It is sometimes hard to love people that are mean, unkind, or even

indifferent to you. It is hard to love people that will take from you or will cost you

time, money or attention. And that is why this is the second greatest commandment

and not the first.

The only way we have the power and ability to love people like we want

ourselves to be loved is through the love of Jesus first. It is his love that fills us up

and completes us. It is his love that enables us to love the unloveable.

The easy passage to look at here is the Good Samaritan parable in Luke 10. It

is only right that we look at it because it was part of the same discussion that Jesus

was having with an expert of the law as to what the greatest commandment is. The

question posed to Jesus is: who is my neighbor?

Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down

to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat

him up, and left him half dead beside the road.

31  “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed

to the other side of the road and passed him by.  32  A Temple assistant [ d ]  walked over

and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.

33  “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt

compassion for him.  34  Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with

olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and

took him to an inn, where he took care of him.  35  The next day he handed the

innkeeper two silver coins, [ e ]  telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher

than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’

36  “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was

attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.

37  The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.”

Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.” (Luke 10:30-37)

So the road between Jerusalem and Jericho is a desert road with some pretty

steep cliffs on a narrow path. There are lots of places where a person could be

isolated and robbed: a position none of us would want to be in. This guy is robbed,

stripped naked and beaten almost to death in the middle of nowhere.

And the first two people that come by don’t help them. It is a priest and a

temple assistant. The priest could give his excuses. He was too busy. Touching

someone injured like that could make him ‘unclean’ according to the religious law

and it could hinder his other ministry. Whatever reasons he could tell himself. But

he really isn’t even interested at all because he does not even pause to check on the

condition of the man. The Temple assistant looks him over out of curiosity, but

doesn’t help him either.

Why don’t they help him? They don’t know him. They don’t want to know

him. It would take time, effort and probably money to help him. It is easier to just

keep on moving than to get involved in someone else’s mess. It’s better to assume

that he is dead or deserved what he got.

They never once considered, if that was me, would I want someone to help

me? That simple question is a guide to life. And having a deep love of Jesus brings

that question to your heart. For you know that God loves each of us the same with

all that He is. He opens our heart to not simply love ourselves but to love others.

You would think given these men’s positions that they would have a deep

relationship and a love for God that would flow out to others but they don’t.

Growing up in church doesn’t make you a Christian. Having attended a Christian

school your entire life doesn’t mean that you truly love Jesus. You can fool other

people all you want and raise your hands in church and say nice things here, but the

proof of your love for Jesus is often seen in how you love people: especially those

who are difficult to love.

The one guy that helps the poor and dying Jewish man is a Samaritan.

Samaritans are looked down on because they weren’t considered purebred Jews.

They were ones that had been left in Israel during the exile and so they had

intermarried with other cultures. Their worship wasn’t considered as pure, and a

good Jew wouldn’t even share a meal at a table with them.

But it WAS this Samaritan that stopped to check on this man’s well being. He

did what he could to heal him, transported him to an inn, and then paid for his stay

and hospital bill promising to pay more when he returned to check on the man if the

bill was higher than what he had given. The money he gave initially was equally to

the pay of working two full days so it was quite a sacrifice.

What stands out about the Samaritan is his love for this stranger didn’t make

sense. This Jewish man who was dying by the side of the road would most likely

have not done the same for the Samaritan if their situations were reversed. But love

is not dependent on what someone else does. Real love is given freely expecting

nothing in return. The Samaritan expects nothing back. He simply loves this man as

he would want to be loved. And in so doing, proved that his religion was true as his

love relationship with God overflowed into his love for people.

One more example I want to share this morning that reveals the power of

loving our neighbor like ourselves. In Acts 9, a Pharisee named Saul was on a

mission to destroy the followers of Jesus and kill the early church in its infancy. He

approved of the killing of Christians and was willing to throw whole families in

prison that claimed to follow Jesus. He is on the road to the city of Damascus

because he has heard there is a group of Jesus followers there. But as he is traveling

on the road, the resurrected Jesus appears to him. Jesus’ glory is so bright that it

knocks Saul off his horse and Jesus says, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? I

am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!  6  Now get up and go into the city, and you will

be told what you must do.” (Acts 9:5)

Saul is blind and must be led into Damascus where he sits in darkness for

three days and refuses to eat and drink. In this situation, Saul is the Jewish man on

the way to Jericho (Damascus). And God sends him the most unlikely of persons to

love him:

Acts 9:10-19

0  Now there was a believer [ b ]  in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in

a vision, calling, “Ananias!”

“Yes, Lord!” he replied.

11  The Lord said, “Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get

there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now.  12  I have

shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so

he can see again.”

13  “But Lord,” exclaimed Ananias, “I’ve heard many people talk about the terrible

things this man has done to the believers [ c ]  in Jerusalem!  14  And he is authorized by

the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name.”

15  But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the

Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel.  16  And I will show him how

much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”

17  So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul,

the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might

regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”  18  Instantly something like scales

fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was

baptized.  19  Afterward he ate some food and regained his strength.

Why was Ananias an unlikely messenger to Saul? Because he was one of the

people that Saul was going to Damascus to throw into prison or kill! And yet, the

love of God was changing Saul from the inside out, and he was sending Ananias to

love Saul like Jesus. Ananias was reluctant. It was dangerous. He questioned well

Saul deserved it. But Ananias went to Saul because it was what the love of God

compelled him to do.

He calls Saul brother in spite of Saul’s sins. And brings him healing through

the power of the Holy Spirit so he can see. Saul gets saved and becomes Paul who

becomes the greatest missionary of the early church and the author of most of the

New Testament. But it all began with Ananias being willing to love his neighbor as

himself.

We cannot measure or put a limit on the power of love. Is it hard and

difficult? Will it sometimes be painful and cost us something? Yes. But when we love

our neighbor as we want to be loved and as God loves us, we look like Jesus and can

be a catalyst to their salvation or God’s amazing call on their lives.