Who is your neighbor?

In Luke 10, a lawyer tries to justify himself by asking Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus answers with the parable of the Good Samaritan. In this sermon, Dr. Toby Holt unpacks what real love for neighbor looks like.

Questions this sermon answers:

1. Why did the lawyer ask the question? To justify himself — to narrow "neighbor" down to a manageable few. Jesus widened it instead.

2. Why was a Samaritan the hero? Samaritans were despised by the Jews. Making one the example exposed the lawyer's prejudice and redefined neighborly love.

3. What does Jesus call us to do? To show mercy to whoever is in need, crossing the lines we would rather not cross. "Go and do likewise."

"So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?... And Jesus said to him, 'Go and do likewise.'" — Luke 10:36-37 (NKJV)

Dr. Toby Holt is President of New Geneva Theological Seminary, and his sermons have been downloaded more than 1.9 million times on SermonAudio. Find more verse-by-verse Bible teaching at newgeneva.org; support this ministry at newgeneva.org/give.