Who Is My Neighbor?
You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Leviticus 19:18b NKJV.)
So he answered and said, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind’ and your neighbor as yourself.’” And [Jesus] said to him, “You have answered rightly, do this and you will live.” But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:27-29 NKJV.)
The test of loving like Christ is not loving Jesus. It’s loving Judas. (Anonymous meme.)
Who is my neighbor? That’s a rather profound question, if you stop and think about it for a minute.
The modern dictionary defines “neighbor” as “living or located near another,” or “fellow man” (www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neighbor; September 22, 2026). Like so many dictionary definitions, it is concise, to the point, and ponderously unhelpful. The Hebrew word “neighbor” used in Leviticus is rea (רֵעַ), which embraces anyone who stands close to you in daily life, from a casual acquaintance to a close friend. The Greek word in Luke is plēsion (πλησίον), which is mostly used as adverb meaning "near," "close by," or "close to.” But in this instance, is used as a noun meaning “one who is near”—your neighbor or fellow human.
It’s interesting to note that the modern definition is rather vague. It gives a geographical meaning (“living or located near”) and a vague encompassing of the entire human race (“fellow man”). The two Biblical definitions are more immediate and personal, implying an amicable relationship.
Given the three definitions, how do we answer the question posed by the young man to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replies with the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37), which ends with a question; “‘So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?’ And he said, ‘He who showed mercy on him.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise’” (Luke 10:36-37 NKJV).
God commands the Hebrews to “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18). Jesus tells his disciples, “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). Paul writes, “Let all that you do be done with love” (1 Corinthians 16:14). And John the Evangelist writes, “We love Him because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
Question: And who is my neighbor? Answer: Everyone.
Everyone is my neighbor. That nice young newlywed couple next door, the homeless old woman on the sidewalk who begs from anyone passing by, that obnoxious old man whose political views set your teeth on edge, those mischievous kids who cut across the backyard to catch the school bus, the young man working his way through college waiting tables at a local restaurant, the list goes on and one.
Who is my neighbor? The whole human race, that’s who! I ask you, “How in the world am I supposed to love the whole human race?”
Well, that’s the test, isn’t it? The test of loving like Christ is not loving Jesus. It’s loving Judas.
Is Judas my “neighbor?”
Rejoice always,
Jerry Lipscomb
