Christian - in a nutshell

 

The legalist experts of the Old Testament tried to trick Rabbi Jesus into saying the wrong answer when they asked him to name The Greatest Commandment given by God to shape the lives of people. He answered that the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart and mind; and, to love your neighbor as yourself [not neighbor above oneself; nor self over the neighbor, instead both equally important]. By fulfilling the second part of his answer, in effect we are pleasing God; God is implicitly being honored and praised by fulfilling the "neighbor" commandment. Among many powerful illustrations of caring for one another there is the Good Samaritan story. An image search for free clipart turns up many iterations, including the ones here.

Baked into the commandment is the question, "who is MY neighbor"? And with the images shown here we have the answer: EVERYONE is your neighbor (etymology is 'neigh' or near + bur or fellow resident). Viewed in tandem with the Bible's assertation that the God of Abraham is not exclusively for the Jewish people, but instead is for all nations, the Good Samaritan story presents somebody passing by the person in distress, and in spite of their ethnic and religious differences, still this person takes care of the one that is hurt.

 

The ordained minister and later children's TV host, Fred Rogers, of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, put the matter of "who is your neighbor" [how far does one's response and responsibility extend to others] in the form of an invitation, " Won't You Be My Neighbor"? (in other words, we can be friends, not strangers, right?). So when there is doubt about who one's neighbor is, it can best be formed into an invitation: Won't you be my neighbor? Some may reject the invitation, but others may accept the invitation.

 

Thinking back to the Greatest Commandment and also to the most basic expression of what Christian is: in effect it is the Good Samaritan parable. Notice other people and give them your respect [literally, RE + SPECTATE, or "see again" and "take a second look"]. When there is need or distress, offer comfort.

In contrast to this "nutshell" illustration for living a life of Christ-the-servant, a city church moving into the premises of a dwindling church organization made great efforts to personally invite neighbors along many of the surrounding streets, going door to door and a month later following with a colorful 6" x 9" postal card announcement of services and invitation. At the same time a prominent section was marked, THE BIBLE WAY TO HEAVEN. The subheadings were each supported with a few sentences. (1) Recognize your conditions, (2) Realize the penalty for sin, (3) Believe Christ dies for you, (4) Trust Christ alone as your savior. Sadly, though, the parable of the Good Samaritan is nowhere to be seen.