Love Your Neighbor
Our second most important responsibility in life is to love other people—love our neighbors as we love our self. Jesus said:
And the second [greatest command] is like [the first], namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. —Mark 12:31
All People of the World Are Neighbors
Jesus explained in His Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), that we should consider all the people of the world to be our
neighbors. The Jews and Samaritans were from rival religions and peoples of a different race and nationality. For hundreds of years they despised each other and did not speak. In the parable, a Samaritan man stopped to help an injured Jewish man. The Samaritan spent his time and money to give him the best care he could. At the conclusion of the parable, Jesus says to, "Go and do likewise."
Enemies Are Neighbors Too
Just as God loves all His people, so should we. Jesus calls us to extend our love even to our enemies.
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. —Matthew 5:43-48
Sinners Are Neighbors Too
In Jesus' time,
proper people looked down on those they considered to be sinners and would not associate with them.
But, we are all sinners in our own ways (Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8).
Jesus taught by word and example not to look down on, shun, criticize, judge, or condemn other people (Matthew 7:1-5, Matthew 9:10-13, Luke 18:9-14, John 8:3-11).
