Who is my Neighbor?

A lawyer once asked Jesus

Who is my neighbor?

Ah, those tricky lawyer types

Always looking for a way to trap and confuse

But Jesus told a story

of three men on a road

kind of reminds one

of all those horrible jokes...

three men walked into a bar

three men were in a boat

but in this case three men walked down a road

and saw a man

beaten and bloody

it is then the story gets interesting

there are lots of things one can say about this story

but for me the story revolves around that 

man

the one in the dirt

the neighbor

the point is this

we have this horrible tendency 

to narrow our concept of neighbor

you are my neighbor if...

you look good

you are safe

you are not needy

you are the same color as me

you are a Republican (or Democrat)

you have a job

a home

you don't drink

you don't some

you don't chew

and don't go with girls that do

believe like me

act like me

dress like me

are wired sexually, just like me....

but I am becoming more and more convinced

that my neighbor

is that person

I just happen to run in to

in the store

at church

on the street

forgive me God

when I do not see

the neighor

you put in my path