The word "neighbor" in the Greek is plēsion (pronounced play-see-on). It comes from the Greek word pelas, which means "near."
This isn’t all that different from our 21st-century understanding of the word. A neighbor is someone who lives next door to you, or across the street, or in the same neighborhood. Someone you’re in close proximity with.
Jesus, though, took the concept of a neighbor even further when someone once asked Him, "Who is my neighbor?" (Luke 10:29, NKJV)
He told the story of a Jewish man who was robbed and left to die on the side of the road. Two of his fellow Jews walked past him, unwilling to stop and help him. But then, a Samaritan (someone the Jews considered an enemy, and vice versa) stopped and cared for the Jewish man’s wounds, took him to an inn, and paid for his stay there.
The point Jesus was making?
Anyone we come across is our neighbor. Especially if they are in need.
Regardless of nationality, race, religion, status, personality, etc.
And as we strive to reflect the character of Jesus Christ, we are called to be neighborly to those around us.
