In the parable of the good Samaritan, Jesus taught us that good neighbors are the ones who stop everything to respond to the needs of those around them. In Jesus’ day, Samaritans were the “different ones” who “mixed” with the wrong crowd and became social outcasts. They were misunderstood, judged, and rejected “misfits” who became the adjunct faculty at JU. Jesus University welcomed sinners undergoing transformation to spontaneously teach with Him. In fact, if you were walking with Jesus, you could be the prop in His next parable.
What made Jesus a good neighbor? Jesus noticed people. He knew what they looked like on the outside. He knew what was under the hood of their lives. He knew all of their stories even before they encountered Him. He was familiar with bitterest grief. People were drawn to Jesus because He loved and accepted outcasts. Jesus was bent on finding and connecting with people of all ages who either had no name or a bad name. They became His neighbors and the legends who are still teaching us what it means to be a good neighbor.
Got any “sons of thunder” in your home, in your neighborhood, or disrupting your classroom? Got any fishermen—the outdoor, prideful sort—whose nets or lives seem beyond repair? Got any neighbors who married or shacked up with “the wrong person” or turned to the wrong things, seeking comfort for their pain? Got any attention-seeking kids nearby won’t stay off of your property? Maybe they’ll change your life and the world if you welcome them in, invest in their lives, and give them Jesus. Know any “aholics” who work too much, talk too much, think too much, complain too much, eat too much, worry too much, forget too much, drink too much, smoke too much, or judge too much? Got any neighbors who don’t seem to measure up to your standards and live the “wrong way”? Got neighbors who are sick, broken, grieved and don’t know where else to turn? Would they turn to you? Do they even know your name? Do you know their names? Most people that I know don’t even know the names of most of their neighbors.
Images are powerful. Our controlling images of people determine if we give them the “time of day” or just turn them away. If we’re going to connect with our neighbors and build relational bridges, we can’t be offended because they sin or live differently than we live. Some of my neighbors have become great friends. Some of my neighbors don’t give me the time of day. Some of my neighbor live close by and far away. Who are my neighbors?
Some of my favorite neighbors are Amish. They’ve been growing vegetables for our family and the community for generations. The more time that I spend with them at the farmer’s market and at their farms, the more I’ve come to love and to cherish them.
Yesterday we found some of our favorite Amish friends who supplied us with vegetables, fruit, and honey. We also got to meet all of their kids and animals. The kids loved feeding corn to the pigs. Lucy the horse got so close to my wife that they could have given each other a hug. Just what we all need. All because my Amish friends work hard, love well, and generously share with those in need.
My favorite neighbors have become dear friends because they’re not too busy for me. They stop what they’re doing to talk with me and to spend time with me. They’re not afraid to be honest or to offer help. They share who they are and what they have. They love me for who I am. They’re not offended that I’m different. They look forward to when I “dive-bomb” them or act crazy around them to relieve my stress. They don’t want my money, and they’re glad when I show up. Finding and making good neighbors is becoming rare—but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Developing neighborhood connections happens when you keep showing up on people’s turf full of God’s love. When you look for and notice people, you will eventually discover them. They might look at you like you’re strange. They may initially wonder what you want. If you keep showing up looking for new ways to connect with and to love them, you may become friends. If you look for the good in them, find it, tell them, and affirm their good qualities among their peers, you may be giving them a gift that they’ve never received before.
Yesterday I “dive-bombed” one of my favorite neighbors. We were playing with a long cardboard tube sending Matchbox cars back-and-forth. Living on the edge of adventure, as most boys do, we broke the tube in half, placed them on our arms and had a pretend sword-fight. I lost the epic battle and wrapped the remaining part of the cardboard tube around my “broken” leg and limped around like I’d been critically injured. I guess playing my way into the hearts of people of all ages builds connections and turns neighbors into friends.
Last weekend, my “neighbor” was a pastor who called me on Saturday night and asked me to preach for him the next morning. I thrilled at the opportunity. When we say “yes” to people in need, we never know what will happen. Sometimes when we push the “start” button and invest in building neighborhood connections, it can blow up in our face. In our home. At work. On the ball field. Across the street. Next door. At school. And even at church.
But what a blessing I received last weekend just because I said “yes” to my neighbor. When I got up to preach, my friend Bob pulled out a Talking Matters card that said, “Talk about a time when you experienced God.” What a wonderful, unexpected opportunity that God gave me to build up His church and to share how and where I saw God at work in His church. Four days later, an older gentleman from the church showed up at our Tim Hortons Talking Matters group. He helped me to realize that my Spirit-Driven props and experiential ways of teaching people about Jesus connect with hurting people who sometimes need a different approach to gospel- sharing and safe places to bear their souls.
When your eyes and your heart and your schedule are open to the moving of God’s Spirit among His people, you can learn to connect with neighbors anywhere. It starts at home. When you’re in love with Jesus and with your family members, the love of Christ will compel you into the lives of others. It cannot be contained or boxed-in. The Holy Spirit will train you to notice and to connect with people wherever you go. When you ask Him, the Holy Spirit will help you to become aware of and to respond to the needs of His people. He’ll place on your heart what to say and what to do and what to give. Just as He seeks and saves those who are lost, Jesus will send you on mission to connect with those who are lost.
Don’t get discouraged when people put up walls like we did before we became Christ-followers. If they seem “set in their ways” or “put off” because you’re being a good neighbor, don’t stop. If the love of Christ is changing you and compelling you into someone’s life, don’t stop. But if you only have one way of connecting with people and if it’s not working, then you need to develop some new tools and to bring along some friends who can help you to learn some new ways of connecting with people. If you discover that you feel uncomfortable, frustrated, or put-off by people made in the image of Christ, then maybe you need some deep-heart change before you’re ready to connect with neighbors. If you’ve never experienced a good neighbor, then it’s probably hard to know how to connect with and to be a good neighbor to someone in need.
The good news is that Jesus University is always open. He paid the price for when you’re ready to enroll in His school of life-long learning. If you’re ready to follow Jesus and to surrender everything, your changed life will become the tool that Jesus uses to connect you with neighbors who need Him.