Who Is My Neighbor?: Being a Good Samaritan in a Connected World

by Steve Moore

  It is this putting off of the divine nature that makes Jesus' identification with us so powerful. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). If it was not possible for Jesus to sin, but He merely exposed Himself to tempting situations to make us feel better, the incarnation is a cruel hoax.

  In as much as Jesus chose not to sin, He chose to embrace the life purpose that had been ordained for Him from the foundation of the world. The first words of Jesus recorded in the Bible remind us that He had to be about His Father's business (see Luke 2:49). And from the earliest moments of His public ministry, He went out of His way to prove it. Jesus launched His public ministry in Nazareth, where on the Sabbath He took His turn to read from the Scriptures. He stood up and unrolled the scroll of Isaiah, looking for a specific text. Upon finding it, Jesus read, “‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.’ Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing’” (Luke 4:17-21). Jesus knew who He was and where He was going. He had discovered His destiny and declared it publicly.

  After this incident at the synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus was literally run out of town. He moved from there to Capernaum, and on the Sabbath began to teach in the synagogue. Peter owned a home in this city, and Jesus had already developed a relationship with him through his brother Andrew. The people of Capernaum were receptive to Jesus' ministry, and many were healed or delivered from demons. This had the makings of an extensive base for Jesus. He was popular, people were responsive, and Peter's home provided a place to stay. At least that's what we might expect.

  But Jesus spent some quality time alone with the Father one morning. The people of Capernaum came looking for Him. They urged Him to capitalize on the momentum of receptivity and opportunity. It made absolutely no sense for Jesus to leave Capernaum. But He did, saying, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent” (Luke 4:43). Jesus repeatedly yielded to the Father's direction, filtering decisions based on His life purpose until eventually He could say, “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4).

  The life example of Jesus reminds us it is possible to know your life purpose, use it as a filter for saying no to some opportunities and yes to others, and to press forward in obedience until that purpose is completed. A similar epitaph is given to David, who having “served God's purpose in his own generation … fell asleep” (Acts 13:36).

  WHERE'S THE SILVER BULLET?

  Perhaps at this point in the book you are wondering, “Where's the silver bullet?” You may have been expecting me to pull a rabbit out of my hat and offer you a magical shortcut that will help you answer the once simple but increasingly complicated question, “Who is my neighbor?” I never promised anything of the sort. But I think I understand why you have this expectation. And I want to address it head on with a simple illustration.

  Being a good steward of one's time has always been important. God didn't interrupt the flow of history one day with a new declaration saying, “Okay, now that you have learned how to write and invented the wheel, it appears life is getting a little too complicated and fast-paced. So I've determined that from now on, you have to be a good steward of your time, you have to redeem the days I have given you and use them wisely. Starting today.” From Adam and Eve in the garden all the way to the end of time, God expects us to use every day wisely. He always has.

  Similarly, the basic principles of organization and time management apply across the generations. Questions such as “What is most important? When does this need to be completed? Should I be doing this at all?” have timeless value. But as life has become more complicated and the number of distractions as well as potential interruptions increased exponentially, it is more difficult and more important than ever to employ the principles of personal organization in order to steward our days wisely. Post-it notes with cryptic messages randomly placed like a yellow brick road from the bathroom mirror to the refrigerator door to the dashboard on the car to the edges of your computer monitor will not enable you to effectively manage the complexities of life in a connected world. But you already knew that.

  The tools available for you to get organized have evolved from a technology standpoint just like the nature of the interruptions. But the underlying questions that will make the tools effective are much the same. What I am purporting in this book is that while people have always been surrounded by the needs of others, we are more likely to know about those needs in almost real time than ever before, regardless of whether they are across the street or the ocean. Proximity is no longer a limiting factor in our assessment of how much responsibility we should assume for the needs of others, especially when the needs are chronic as well as pandemic.

  Throughout history, the people who have had the greatest impact on the world have been those who embarked on a God-honoring journey of passion-fueled purpose. Their passions surfaced through life-shaping experiences that heartlinked them to causes they cared deeply about. Information stimulated compassionate action as they crossed boundaries and overcame barriers to show God's mercy by serving others. Nothing about this is new, as I've demonstrated from the lives of people such as Amy Carmichael and William Wilberforce. But just as managing your schedule is more complicated today than ever, discerning which issue-based passions, which “wounded traveler” on the side of the road, you should give priority to in this shrinking global village is also more difficult.

  If you choose the life-planning equivalent of randomly placed Post-it notes to sort out your answer to the question, “Who is my neighbor?” you are almost certain to be overwhelmed in a tsunami of human need. You will be tempted to retreat into an enclave of self-absorption, drowning out information about the needs of others with the triviality of status updates and the superficiality of pop culture. You will find it easier to opt for the exit ramps between compassion and action I referenced in chapter 3, until eventually “passing by on the other side” becomes a shortcut to the well-rehearsed excuses that justify inaction.

  The solution I'm offering, that of surrender as a gateway to adventure, of allowing God to apply a spiritual algorithm that PageRanks your passions, using them to fuel a life of great purpose and filter your engagement as a Good Samaritan, is not new. It has always been important; in fact it has never been more essential.

  PAGERANKING THE PASSIONS OF JESUS

  One of the philosophical and theological questions that almost every Christ follower asks at one time or another is why Jesus didn't heal every sick person, feed every hungry person, and liberate every captive He encountered. We could answer that by revisiting the assertion Jesus made, saying He could do nothing by Himself and only did what He saw His Father doing (see John 5:19). But that only raises another similar question: Why didn't the Father instruct Jesus to meet all these needs? We are left with the explanation Jesus gave the people in Capernaum: That is not why He was sent (see Luke 4:43). Clearly Jesus was willing to say no, to embrace the boundaries of the life purpose the Father had given Him.

  In part 3 of this book I want to explore a related question about the ministry and mission of Jesus. What issues or causes would be PageRanked to the top of the metaphorical search list for Jesus, organizing and prioritizing the universal passions of the kingdom? Can we identify issue-based passions that have been selectively emphasized in the Bible and resonate with the life purpose Jesus announced to the worshippers at the synagogue in Nazareth? I believe we can. And though you might not feel my list is complete, I don't think you will question if
it is accurate. Keep in mind I'm not suggesting this is all God cares about. I am asserting that three issue-based passions rise to the top of the PageRank: the poor, the oppressed, and the lost. In addition to the unique passions that flow from your heartlinked life-shaping experiences, the more you become like Jesus, the more these three universal passions of the kingdom will be reflected in your journey.

  Part 3

  CONNECTING WITH GOD’S PASSIONS

  Chapter 7

  GOD'S PASSION FOR THE ULTRAPOOR

  Everyone has the same need for food, but not everyone has the same access to provision. I'm using the word food as a metaphor for life's basic needs, which of course extends beyond something to eat every day to water and shelter at a minimum. It is interesting to note when those of us who live in relative affluence define the basic needs of people in the developing world, we make a pretty short list. If making a similar list for ourselves, it would likely include cable television and a cell phone. It's all about perspective. Everyone has the same need for food; not everyone has the same access to provision.

  One of the formative experiences that confronted me with the complexity of poverty took place in a rural village in south India. I was talking with my Indian friend Samuel Stephens, president of India Gospel League, when we were approached by a man carrying a young girl. At first glance I thought this little girl had fallen asleep on her father's shoulder. But as he came closer I realized she was awake but too weak to even lift her head. A growth the size of an orange had disfigured one side of her face.

  The man spoke softly to Sam, who with compassion in his voice asked several questions as he sought to piece together their story. I positioned myself so I could see the little girl's face and looked into her eyes. She was listless; disfigured and beautiful all at the same time. Sam spoke to the man in Tamil, so my mind was free to wander. Eerily I found myself picturing my youngest daughter's face on this little girl's body; they appeared very close in age. I could sense the helplessness in this man's voice. I couldn't understand his words, but I could relate with his father's heart.

  The conversation lasted only a few minutes before Sam invited me to join him in praying over the little girl. We cried out to God, asking for His healing power to be displayed in her body. Divine intervention through healing and deliverance often creates beachheads of kingdom advancement in these villages, but in this instance there was no immediate breakthrough. As they walked away, the little girl's head never moved off her father's shoulder.

  Once they left I raised the question I had been dying to ask: “Why did he wait so long to seek help?” I was more naive than judgmental. Sam explained that this family lived in a remote, rural setting where no medical care of any kind was available. India Gospel League brought mobile clinics to the region from time to time, which prompted the father to seek us out after hearing a team was in the area. Unfortunately, our group did not have a medical component. But this father's dilemma went well beyond the lack of access to medical treatment. Sam explained to me that he had traveled on foot for nearly half a day to speak to us. It would take the rest of the day to get home. That meant he would have no income for the day. But complicating things even more, since money earned from working every day is used to buy food for their only meal, his family would have to go without that night.

  Taking his daughter to a clinic or hospital in a more urban environment would mean an even more complicated and expensive journey. Since they had no savings to fall back on, his family would have to forgo eating for several days to pull together the money needed for the trip. When including round-trip travel time on foot and bus, he would be leaving the rest of his family without food for the better part of a week. All this would need to be balanced with the unlikely hope that he would find a place willing and able to treat his daughter.

  As I tried to get my mind around the emotional angst associated with a decision such as that, Sam looked at me and said, “His situation is not unique; there are thousands more just like him.” I wasn't outside a tea shop in Belfast, but the compassion of God was aroused in my heart. I didn't write it in my journal that night, but like Amy Carmichael, in a moment of honest reflection, I had to admit, “As of now, I do nothing for little girls like you.” Fifteen years later, I can still see that little girl's face. Our family has been sponsoring children with India Gospel League ever since.

  Sam explained to me later that night that he had given this man money to cover the basic expenses he would incur to get to a hospital run by India Gospel League. Unsure of her prognosis, I knew his daughter would receive quality care by people who love Jesus, but I couldn't help but wonder about the millions of others just like him in India and beyond. Everyone has the same need for food; not everyone has access to provision.

  THE GOD OF THE POOR

  It is not hard to make a case for the fact that the Holy Spirit guided the authors of the Bible to selectively emphasize the needs of the poor. It is said there are more than two thousand verses in the Bible on the subject of poverty.1 One of the most quoted verses on this subject has repeatedly been used to justify a lack of compassionate action because only the first part of the verse is cited: “There will always be poor people in the land” (Deuteronomy 15:11). But the rest of the verse gives God's clear directive: “Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.” We are tempted to look at the first part of this verse and assume that since poverty will never be eradicated, there is justifiable reason for inaction. When the entire verse is viewed in context, it is clear that poverty provides a perpetual opportunity for Good Samaritan activity. Once again, it's all about perspective.

  Jesus placed the poor at the epicenter of His life-purpose statement. Reading from the scroll of Isaiah in the synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus said He came to “preach good news to the poor” (Luke 4:18). Rich Stearns, in his book The Hole in Our Gospel, describes this passage in Luke as “the culmination and fulfillment of more than twenty centuries of God speaking to the nation of Israel through Moses and the prophets.”2 Jesus was not introducing a new idea.

  Ministry to the poor remained central for the early church. The apostle Paul, describing words of encouragement and instruction about his ministry to the Gentiles, given to him by James, Peter, and John, said, “All they asked was that we continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do” (Galatians 2:10).

  In chapter 1 I suggested the single truth Jesus communicated in the Good Samaritan is that God expects us to take the initiative, crossing boundaries and overcoming barriers to show His mercy by serving others. How you respond to the needs of others is determined by who you love the most. If you love God most, you will be others-focused, drawn away from a lifestyle of self-centeredness toward the service of others, including the poor.

  The challenge of poverty and ministry to the poor is a universal issue-based passion for Christ followers because wholeness—God's concern for the poor, sick, and downtrodden—is a central theme in the gospel of the kingdom. If you love Jesus supremely, what is important to Him will become important to you. Loving the poor was important to Jesus. The more you pursue intimacy with Jesus, the more your heart will be stirred toward compassionate action in service of the poor and needy.

  Though it may appear controversial to you at first, I believe a benchmark of intimacy with Jesus is a growing measure of compassion for the poor. David Platt, in his book Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream, put it like this: “If our lives do not reflect radical compassion for the poor, there is reason to wonder if Christ is really in us at all.”3 The action you take will depend on your giftedness, the thread of the poverty mosaic that surfaces as an issue-based passion fueling your life purpose, and your preferred domain of passionate engagement. But in addition to the unique passions to which you are heartlinked by life-shaping experiences, you can expect God to turn your heart toward the poor.

  FOUR FACES OF POVERTY

  Poverty def
ies simplistic explanations and solutions, especially when considered in a global context. I do not present myself as an expert on this topic, but I've found it helpful to simplify this challenge by looking into the four faces of poverty: crisis, corruption, consequences, and choice. Let's look at each one briefly.

  Poverty Resulting from Crisis

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  For a detailed overview of the devastation produced by the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti and what will be needed going forward, download the Haiti Global Issues Update webinar interview with World Relief from the online store at www.TheMissionExchange .org. This is a free resource.

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  Natural disasters such as earthquakes, typhoons, hurricanes, and tsunamis serve as a magnifying glass, giving us a closer and more focused look at the helplessness of people trying to cope with the aftermath of an “act of God.” When the affected communities are already poor, such as Haiti in January 2010, natural disasters amplify their vulnerability. But without a safety net provided by government assistance and private insurance, almost everyone, including those living in a more stable economic condition before a crisis, will need the help of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and local churches to rebuild their lives. Most of the world lives beyond the reach of these safety nets and is at the mercy of Good Samaritans like me and you to partner with NGOs and congregations who have the technical expertise needed to provide both relief and development.