This devotional on loving your neighbor looks at the Good Samaritan, Jesus’ answer to the question, “Who is my neighbor?” Scripture says to love God fully “and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27, ESV). Your neighbor is anyone in need whom God places in your path, so look for one person to help today.
Key Verse
And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27, ESV)
A Question to Justify Himself
A lawyer asked Jesus how to inherit eternal life. Jesus asked what the Law said, and the man answered well: love God with everything and your neighbor as yourself. But then, desiring to justify himself, he asked, And who is my neighbor? He wanted a limit, a line where his obligation ended.
The Good Samaritan
Jesus told a story. A man was robbed and left half dead. A priest saw him and passed by. A Levite did the same. Then a Samaritan, a member of a group Jews despised, saw him and had compassion. He bandaged his wounds, put him on his own animal, took him to an inn, and paid for his care.
At the end, Jesus turned the question around: Which of these proved to be a neighbor? The lawyer could not even say Samaritan; he said, The one who showed him mercy. Jesus replied, You go, and do likewise. The question is not who deserves my love, but whom can I love.
Love That Stops
The religious leaders may have had reasons to keep walking: schedules, safety, or ritual purity. We have reasons too. Loving your neighbor often means interruption, cost, and crossing lines of comfort or difference. Ultimately, Jesus is the greatest Samaritan. He found us wounded by sin, had compassion, and paid the cost to make us whole. Loved like that, we can stop for others.
Today, Try This
Ask God to show you one person today who needs mercy, a neighbor, coworker, stranger, or someone different from you, and take one concrete step to help.
Reflection Question
Who have you been passing by on the other side of the road, and what would it look like to stop?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you stopped for me when I was wounded and helpless. Open my eyes to the people around me who need mercy. Give me compassion that crosses lines and love that is willing to be interrupted. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is my neighbor according to the Bible?
In the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37, ESV), Jesus teaches that your neighbor is anyone in need you encounter, including people of different backgrounds or even enemies. He shifts the question from ‘Who deserves my love?’ to ‘How can I show mercy?’
What is the meaning of the Good Samaritan parable?
The parable shows that true love for neighbor crosses social, ethnic, and religious boundaries and takes costly action. A despised Samaritan, not the religious leaders, showed mercy. Jesus concludes, “You go, and do likewise” (Luke 10:37, ESV). Jesus turns the question from who deserves love to who will show mercy.
What does ‘love your neighbor as yourself’ mean?
It means seeking others’ good with the same care and attention you naturally give your own needs. Jesus pairs it with loving God fully (Luke 10:27, ESV). It is not mainly a feeling but practical action: mercy, help, patience, and kindness.
Keep Reading
- Explore more: Bible verses about love
- Read more daily devotionals
- The narrow way: what the narrow gate means (Matthew 7:13-14)
- Related: our devotional: Blessed Are the Merciful Devotional
- Related: Good Samaritan Devotional