Mathew 22 v 39 states that the second commandment under the law was, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” He proclaimed in verse 40 that, “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
All the scriptures between the impartation of the law in the book of Leviticus to the book of Malachi were to be rooted in these two commandments if they were to be implemented correctly according to the Lord’s will.
So who is my neighbour? Is it the person living next door to me? Is it a person from a neighbouring country? Is it a family member? The lawyer in Luke 10 v 29 asked the Lord Jesus and he promptly revealed it in the parable of the compassionate Samaritan. Jesus told of a man who, though disparaged by the religious Judeans, helped an injured Jew, cared for him and paid for him to be looked after until he was recovered,even though the injured man’s priest and levite had ignored him: His motivation–compassion!
Jesus asked the lawyer, “who was neighbour to him that fell among thieves?”. He replied in verse 37 , “He that showed mercy on him.”
We are no longer under the law, but under grace, and yet our Heavenly Father desires us to have compassion and mercy on those we meet less fortunate than ourselves, to love them, to care for them, to bind their wounds, to give to them financially, whether they be Christian or Non-Christian. These are our neighbours.
Just as under the law, the new testament scriptures will only fulfill their spiritual potential if they are motivated by love, love for the Father and love for others.
Have a glorious day!