"Who is My Neighbor?"

Most of us if asked “Who is my neighbor?” would reply that neighbors are the people who live in the houses or apartments near us—the people we might call if we need a cup of rice or someone to watch for packages being delivered while we are out of town. We help our neighbors, and our neighbors help us. But, given a bit more time to consider, we might also note a sense of larger interconnectedness (eg, “neighboring cities, counties, states and countries”); after all, “neighbors” who live farther away can also impact our lives. And not taking care of our neighbors can put us in economic, religious, and political peril.

Jesus is asked this same question by a Jewish expert in law (in the New Testament of the Bible, Luke 10:25-37). He has just praised the lawyer’s summary of what one must do to inherit eternal life (to love God with all one’s heart, soul, mind and strength and love one’s neighbor as oneself), but the lawyer wants to absolve himself of too much responsibility, so he seeks to get Jesus to define “Who is my neighbor?” as only Jews—people like the lawyer. Jesus responds with the Parable of the Good Samaritan—after which the lawyer is forced to admit that a man who is his sworn enemy (a Samaritan) acted as the neighbor rather than the priest and scribe (whom the lawyer would have defined as his neighbor).

Like the lawyer in the gospel of Luke, many of us seem to spend our time trying to define “neighbor” on a narrow basis: the people who live on my street (ie, people who, in most neighborhoods in the world, are of the same economic class, race, and often even religious tradition). But, as Jesus reminds us, defining “neighbor” too narrowly might put us in peril—religious or otherwise.

A neighbor of mine, Manuel Manolo Betancur, owns a store specializing in sweet & savory Latin-American baked goods (Manolo’s Bakery). Originally from Colombia (South America), Manolo attended college in East Tennessee and has lived in the US for 17 years (where both of his children were born). I have rarely met someone who has a bigger heart for his neighbors. Manolo sponsors a local program (Raise You Up Ministries) that serves people experiencing homelessness. Charlotte Agenda recently profiled the work he does driving many miles throughout NC to deliver bread to workers on Christmas tree farms and elsewhere. I am looking forward to sharing some music at his bakery on January 16 and having a chance for fellowship with many of my neighbors here in Charlotte.

Manolo’s love for his neighbors inspires me to want to do more for my neighbors as well. We have had conversations about how our country’s individualistic mindset has been hard for him to understand since he comes from a culture that values the community—one’s neighbors. I have been reflecting on this question and decided to research what other religions and cultural traditions say about neighbors.

The ancient middle East had strong codes of hospitality for both the foreigner who has taken up permanent residence and the traveler passing through. Hospitality dictated that the stranger be welcomed with food, water and shelter. It was a grave offense for a stranger to either reject the proffered hospitality or betray the host after sharing a meal. Indeed, a “hospitality code” seems to be present in almost every religion or cultural tradition. It is a deep instinct to be kind to a neighbor—as that neighbor might at some point become important to survival. So it’s an important question to ask ourselves: “Who are our neighbors?” and, implicitly, what do we owe to our neighbors?

Almost every major religion has strict commandments regarding the treatment of one’s neighbor. Both Judaism (Torah) and Christianity (Old Testament) share the book of Leviticus which contains this edict: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” (Leviticus 19:18). In Hinduism the Mahabharata says “A man obtains a proper rule of action by looking on his neighbor as himself.” Buddhism teaches “Full of love for all things in the world, practicing virtue in order to benefit others, this man alone is happy.” (Dhammapada) Confucianism commands: “Seek to be in harmony with all your neighbors; live in amity with your brethren.” (Shu King 5.17.2) And Islam in the Quran (4: 36) says: “Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him, and to parents do good, and to relatives, orphans, the needy, the near neighbor, the neighbor farther away, the companion at your side, the traveler, and those whom your right hands possess.”

 Perhaps we would all benefit if we sought to “love our neighbor as ourself.”