Last week, I had my first Twitter scuffle.

A man, citing the “The Good Samaritan”, informed me that God only calls us to love neighbors who are kind and loving to us.

Yep.

So, I respectfully disagreed and ended any sort of escalation with a reminder that God loves him.

The thing is, I could sense the heaviness in his heart. And I didn’t have to even ask.

I knew he had been rejected. 

By someone, somewhere.

Maybe even the Church.

So, I revisited the parable of the Good Samaritan, and this is the peace I have found:

The Samaritan in the story, “the one who showed mercy”, is not an example of who we should treat as our neighbor.

They are an example of who we should be as a neighbor in Christ.

And I think it has implications for all of life.

When someone’s behavior annoys or frustrates you, make room at the table for them.

When someone’s life and decisions confuse you, make room at the table for them.

When someone’s struggle begs mercy and grace and kindness, make room at the table for them.

Just after the Good Samaritan parable in Luke 10, Jesus visits Mary and Martha, and the greater lesson illuminates when Martha expresses raw frustration to Jesus:

“Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work?”

And I think we all feel Martha’s truth sometimes.

But that doesn’t mean we get to pick our neighbors.

It means we all need to look to God’s loving table.

There’s always room for more.

For the enemies.

For the ones that look and live differently.

For the people who have been rejected over and over in their lives.

God has chairs for each of us.

If we embrace our space, we must acknowledge theirs, too.

Because the Samaritan, unlike the priest and the Temple assistant, chose to see someone in need.

And we can choose to see, too.

Because compassion never fails to give us not just eyes, but a heart like God’s.

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