{"id":2885,"date":"2012-06-01T17:58:42","date_gmt":"2012-06-01T22:58:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/cwr\/?p=2885"},"modified":"2012-06-01T17:58:42","modified_gmt":"2012-06-01T22:58:42","slug":"who-then-is-my-neighbor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/cwr\/2012\/06\/who-then-is-my-neighbor\/","title":{"rendered":"Who, then, is my neighbor?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A teacher of the law quizzed Jesus, \u201cWho is my neighbor?\u201d It was an abstract question which Jesus answered in very real terms. We know Jesus\u2019 response as the Parable of the Good Samaritan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

One lesson we can take from the parable is that Jesus calls us to show mercy to anyone in need. Samaritans and Jews were not supposed to get along. But for Jesus, mercy is shown regardless of national, ethnic, or even religious identity.<\/p>\n

The deciding factor for the Samaritan was that he was present<\/em> with the beaten man along the side of the road. The Samaritan \u201ccame near\u201d the scene of the crime, he \u201csaw\u201d the helpless man, and \u201cwas moved with pity\u201d. These are all verbs of loving presence.<\/p>\n

Each of the verbs, however, takes on a new dimension in today\u2019s globalized world. We are able to translate the Greek into English, but how do we translate a 1st<\/sup> century command into 21st<\/sup> century action?<\/p>\n

Thanks to economic integration, political alliances and transportation technologies, we have \u201ccome nearer\u201d to everyone living on this earth. \u201cThe world is shrinking,\u201d so the saying goes, and it is pressing us all closer onto each other. Those new gym shoes we just bought have an impact on the employment of a Thai laborer. We can book an overnight flight to Brazil at a moment\u2019s whim.<\/p>\n

In this context, we \u201csee\u201d images of disaster and hunger and despair. Cries for help are added to the daily information flood. Perhaps it is through a CNN news report on the military coup in Mali. Perhaps it is a picture of an orphaned child in Zambia, featured prominent in our cousin\u2019s support letter for her short-term mission trip. Perhaps it is though a book we read, a person we met, or a conference we attended. We know that there is a world of need.<\/p>\n

Like the Good Samaritan, we cannot help but be \u201cmoved with pity\u201d. But this is where the problem lies: with so much need in the world, where do we begin? It seems as if the better response to the question \u201cWho is my neighbor\u201d would be Jesus\u2019 feeding of the five thousand with five loaves and two fish.<\/p>\n

But replacing a parable with a miracle is not theologically sincere, nor is it in this case strategically accurate. Taking a simplified view of things, we know there is plenty of food in the world to go around, the problem is distributing that food to those who need it.<\/p>\n

With so much need and seemingly no way for any one individual to tackle it, it is easy to become frustrated. From this frustration, we may become calloused and hard-hearted to the images we see. On the flip-side, we may also become overwhelmed by the needs of those abroad so that we do not see the domestic cries for help. We pour ourselves into campaigns to show mercy to the beaten man along the opposite<\/em> side of the road while overlooking the suffering man on our <\/em>side of the road.<\/p>\n

It is within these tensions that Covenant World Relief is able to act and act boldly. Through partnership with other Covenanters and other generous givers, we are able to gather our resources as the body of Christ to make a great impact in a world with great need. Through partnership with partner organizations rooted in the communities we serve, we are able to show mercy in ways that are culturally relevant and financially efficient. And, of course, it is through partnership with the God who created the world and sent his son to redeem the world, that we are able to join in his mysterious and awesome plan to transform the world for his glory.<\/p>\n


\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

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A teacher of the law quizzed Jesus, \u201cWho is my neighbor?\u201d It was an abstract question which Jesus answered in very real terms. We know Jesus\u2019 response as the Parable of the Good Samaritan. One lesson we can take from the parable is that Jesus calls us to show mercy to anyone in need. 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