By the way, the people that you hate the most, often times, is you. You're just projecting your stuff onto them, that's all.
Oh, and by the way, what is Jesus revealing about His yoke here? According to the yoke of Jesus Christ, which one is the lighter sin: to show mercy; or to leave somebody half dead? Jesus wants us to show mercy, because He says: “go and do likewise”.
In other words: in my yoke, the lighter sin is to touch someone who's bleeding out; the heavier sin is to leave somebody for dead. Someone who acts like a neighbour does that.
So his first axiom is: who is my neighbour? The person who he hates the most! What is the yoke of Jesus Christ concerning it? Go and do likewise, show mercy.
Then He tells the guy: you're asking the wrong question. You're asking: “who is my neighbor”, because you want to get a way around it; but I tell you, the real question is: “how can you be a neighbor?”
You should never ask yourself the question: “who is my neighbor”; because the question gives you too many outs. The question is: “have I acted neighbourly today”?
So, my brothers and sisters: who today, did we act like a neighbour to; and who today, did we not? If we had to stand in front of Jesus today, and based on this passage, ask Him: do I get eternal life; would He look at us and say: yes, you acted like a neighbour; or would He say: wait a minute, what have you done?
Who in our life right now, do we actually believe we're better than them?
So let me just ask a couple of questions to close this night out…
1) Where, in our life right now, are we too independently-minded? Where are we not aware of the cries of the hungry? Where are we only aware of ourself?
2) How are my actions affecting other people? When you choose not to sow into the kingdom of God, how far is that effect going? When you choose to turn your back to the cry of the hungry, how far is that going?
3) Where do I need to share in my good things now? Where do I need to make it my problem? Where do I have an extra $300? I can either save that $300, or I can bless somebody else with it. Where have I chosen to bless, instead of to horde? It's a good thing to save too - they were commanded to save 10% of their income.
4) Hard question: Who do I hate the most? Normally it's people who are different than me. Who do we hate the most? Is it the people over there with towels on their heads, who blow people up? Jesus said: if you want to inherit eternal life, you have to learn to love them, just like you'd love yourself. Who do we hate the most?
5) How can I be a neighbour to someone today? Maybe you can write a cheque that feeds some orphans. Maybe you can sow into some ministry you believe in, to help them. Maybe you can give a phone call tonight, before you go to bed, to someone who needs your encouragement. There's 100 different ways you can be a neighbour. How can you be a neighbour today?
The last question is this: There's no answer to this, this is just something we need to ponder.
6) How can making a decision to "be a neighbour" actually save our own soul? Maybe the decision to love someone, you previously hated, humbles your heart to the point that it brings you closer to God, and it actually brings wholeness to your own self - maybe. How could your decision tonight to be a neighbour, actually save your own soul?
I bless you tonight to know that you serve a God who believes in you, more than you believe in Him. He's so humble to make us leaders in his biggest idea, He trusts us, He believes in us, to take His message, the cross of Jesus Christ, that life - to demonstrate, and then announce.