阅读经文 

从出生时起直到上大学，我一直都住在衣阿华州我家的一座农庄中。我们知道我们的邻居是谁，他们住在大路的另一边，离我们不远，沿着大路走就到了。我们每家小孩都在同一所乡村学校上学，父亲和儿子们一起参与收割，母亲和女儿们一同为所有人预备膳食，整个社区的人都努力参与。我们都是邻舍。

然而，耶稣对邻舍的定义却广阔得多。被人抢劫的人也是我们的邻舍，圣经亦提到“在患难中的孤儿寡妇”，（参雅 1:27）我们也不可忘记“用爱心接待客旅”和“记念被捆绑的人”。（参来 13:2-3）在整本圣经中，我们经常都被提醒要去关爱和眷顾贫困的人。有需要的人就是我们的邻舍。

正如那祭司和利未人，我们的属灵领袖也是我们的邻舍，我们社区里的成员、朋友和家人同样也是。我们圈子里的自己人就是我们的邻舍。

耶稣特别指出，那撒玛利亚人也是一个邻舍。对当时的犹太人来说，撒玛利亚人是被他们鄙视的仇敌。有些人的外貌或许与我们不同，他们也可能有不同的信仰和行为，然而他们也是我们的邻舍。任何在我们圈子以外的人也都是我们的邻舍，每一个人都是我们的邻舍。

From the day I was born until the day I headed off to college, I lived on a family farm in Iowa. We knew who our neighbors were. They lived across the road and down the road from us. We kids attended a country school together. Fathers and sons joined in gathering the harvests, and mothers and daughters joined in feeding everyone. It was a community effort. We were neighbors.

Jesus’ definition is much broader, though. People who are robbed are our neighbors. The Bible also mentions “orphans and widows in their distress” (James 1:27). And we are not to forget “to show hospitality to strangers” and to “continue to remember those in prison” (Hebrews 13:2-3). Throughout Scripture, we are reminded often to love and care for people who are poor. People in need are our neighbors.

Like the priest and the Levite, our spiritual leaders are our neighbors too. So are our community members, friends, and family. Our own people are our neighbors.

Jesus pointed out especially that the Samaritan was a neighbor. To the Jews in that day, the Samaritans were despised like enemies. People may look different to us, and they may believe and act differently, but they are our neighbors too. Anyone who is other is my neighbor. All.