The Good Samaritan: Be a Neighbor to Whoever Is Right in Front of You

Hey, Carpool Crew. Today is gonna be a great one. I'm Pastor Justin. Here's the one thing for the ride I want you to remember: be a neighbor to whoever is right in front of you. Listen to this from Luke chapter 10, verse 36. "Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" All right, picture this. A guy walks up to Jesus and asks, who's my neighbor? Now, he wasn't really asking about the people who lived next door to him, or the people who had a locker by his, or had a desk near his. He was trying to make the rule small. Like, "Tell me the shortest list of people that I have to be kind to, Jesus." But Jesus tells him a story instead. A man is traveling, and he gets attacked by robbers. They beat him up, they take everything, and they leave him on the side of the road to die. We know this story, right? It's the Good Samaritan. Well, Jesus continues. He says a priest walks by. A priest is like a teacher, and he travels around and helps people. He sees the man, but walks right past him. Then another guy who works at the temple comes by. Same thing. He sees the man on the side of the road and just walks by. But then a third guy shows up, a Samaritan. Now, here's a quick fact. Samaritans and Jews did not get along at all. They didn't talk. They avoided each other, honestly. Most people would never expect a Samaritan to help. But here's the big moment. The Samaritan stops. He was probably headed somewhere. He was probably doing something. But he was interrupted by a guy who needed help. He bandaged the man he found on the side of the road. He put him on his own donkey and takes him to an inn. He pays for the man to stay there, and he even tells the innkeeper, "If it costs more, I'll pay it when I come back." Then Jesus asked the guy, "Which one was the neighbor?" The guy says, "The one who showed mercy." Jesus says, "Go and do the same." See, if Jesus were sitting with you right now, he might tell you, "Don't make kindness a short list. Stop walking past people. The neighbor is whoever needs help right in front of you." Think about your school for a second. There's the kid you sit with at lunch, the kids on your team, the friends in your group. It's easy to be kind to them. But what about the new kid no one's talked to yet? Maybe the sibling that's bugging you today big time. The kid who's mean sometimes and says things that really hurt your feelings. The kid you don't usually notice. Jesus says they're your neighbor too. They're on the kindness list. You should be kind to them all the time. So here's what you could do this week. First, when you see someone get hurt or left out, don't keep walking. Stop. Check on them. See how they're doing. Second, do one helpful thing for a sibling, if you have them, without being asked. And guess what? If you don't have any siblings, do something helpful for one of your parents without being asked. Third, ask Jesus this weekend, "Who's a neighbor I keep walking past?" And then go show them kindness the first chance you get. Let's go back to that one thing I wanted you to remember. Be a neighbor to whoever is right in front of you. Remember, Carpool Crew, no matter where you are or how you're listening, God loves you. And parents, this weekend on Carpooling with Jesus, we're closing out May strong. Saturday, we're simplifying the whole Christian life down to two things: love God and love people. Sunday is our big summer kickoff, and we're tackling the biggest question Jesus ever asked: Who do you say I am? You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and you won't miss an episode. I hope you consider it. Now, before we go, let's answer this question together. Who is one person you can be a neighbor to this week? I'll see you tomorrow or on Monday on Carpooling with Jesus.