You can read it in Luke 10:25-36

Turning the question around

The reversed question challenges us: We’re to ask whose neighbor we can be. That’s an important life lesson, especially for teenagers who feel lonely. Friends and “neighbors” don’t just fall into their laps; they have to become a neighbor and a friend to the people who are there.

Whose neighbor can you be today? Someone in your family? The lonely woman next door? The unemployed man at your church? The eternal pessimist in your circle of friends? The homeless woman downtown? Someone who is sick?

Jesus is definitely a huge fan of people caring for one another:

Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. Jesus (Matthew 25:40 NIV)

Before you start feeling overwhelmed: You don’t have to get involved in dozens of things you couldn’t possibly handle anyway. According to the Bible, Jesus has already prepared good works for you, and his burden is light. It’s about noticing the people who are already around you now. To help you find them faster, here’s the essential question: “Whose neighbor am I?”

Do you know the Good Samaritan experiment?

“In December 1970, the psychologists John Darley and Daniel Batson conducted an experiment at Princeton that has since become famous, which they published under the title ‘From Jerusalem to Jericho’: they sent theology students to a building where they were supposed to give a talk. Half of them were to speak about the ‘Good Samaritan,’ a biblical parable about loving your neighbor and helping people in need; the other half about career opportunities for theologians. One third of the students were told there was still plenty of time, another third that they had to leave right away to be on time, and the rest that they were already late. On the way to the building, the experimenters placed a slumped man, apparently in need of help, who was coughing and groaning. The result: of the students with plenty of time, 63 percent helped; of those under no time pressure, 45 percent; and of those in a hurry, only 10 percent. Surprisingly, it made no difference whether the unwitting test subjects had the Christian showcase story about helpfulness on their minds or career opportunities for theologians.” (Süddeutsche Zeitung, in German)

What does this mean for your youth ministry?

When asked why they hadn’t helped the man, many said that they had seen him but hadn’t even thought about whether he might need help. Because they were short on time and focused on their task, they were simply so lost in thought that they saw the man but didn’t really notice him. So attentiveness is definitely something you could make a topic in your youth ministry at some point.

How can we better notice the people around us who need help?

  • We should be more forgiving toward people we think deliberately didn’t help us: maybe they were simply too busy.
  • We could resolve to pack fewer things into our day, leave earlier and give ourselves more time.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used with permission. All rights reserved worldwide.