Where is my neighbor?

[Sower]

16 hours ago, Yes, and said:

Do you think that since 2005 the conditions he describes perhaps have gotten more extreme?

This may influence your thinking if you don't see the changes, even since the internet;

Ever heard of the DINKS ??
From  TIME  magazine/news letter             full story link;  https://time.com/6250834/dink-tiktok-double-income-no-kids/

By Mariah Espada

January 27, 2023 4:42 PM EST

The days of family channels being the internet’s  ideal family arrangement are behind us. Instead, apps like TikTok are making room for DINKS, an acronym for households with double incomes, and no kids.

DINK videos, which have over 33 million views on TikTok, showcase the lifestyle of kid-free married couples– from traveling the world, to parenting pets, to spending $100 on candy, because why not? Kate Anderson, known as @engelthang on TikTok, gained nearly 100,000 followers from posting “dink vlogs”— videos that show her and her husband’s day-to-day life. One of her most popular videos is a date-night run to Costco. “We don’t have kids to feed, but we’ve got lots of money to spend on goodies,” she says in a video with more than 1.5 million likes.

[Michael37]

5 hours ago, jeremiah1five said:

a neighbor is a fellow believer or fellow covenant brethren. It cannot be any hard-core, uncircumcised, non-covenant "Gentile" or unbeliever not saved.

Luk 10:36  So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"

Oops! It was the Samaritan.

[jeremiah1five]

38 minutes ago, Michael37 said:

Luk 10:36  So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"

Oops! It was the Samaritan.

Since Jesus was sent to the lost sheep of the House of Israel, and Jesus sent His disciples to the lost sheep of the House of Israel, and the New Covenant prophesied in Jeremiah 31:31-34 is with the House of Israel, Jesus came and taught Israel and whose coming was to and for the House of Israel as Promised in Deuteronomy, unless the context of a Scripture or subject in Scripture identifies a broader audience of say, Gentiles, or Moabites, or Canaanites, etc., the context of His story is referencing Jewish ideas and concepts and Jewish history and culture and religion. That's what I find when I study Scripture. You'll notice that all three individuals in the "Good Samaritan" story are all related to Israel: a priest, a Levite, a Samaritan. Again, instructing those in covenant to love those in covenant and for neighbor or brother (although not mentioned) are to help neighbor or brother among the twelve tribes. There is no mention of Gentiles in this story. If it did there would most likely be a different outcome.

And I am a believer that God does not lie. It is impossible for Him to lie. I also believe God made promises to Israel and that God will keep all promises He's made to Israel even if Israel in their fallen state as sinners needing atonement every year until Messiah and Savior came and died for His covenant Israel, God still has promises to keep with regard to Israel that see a future - even present - fulfillment. So, although Israel at the time eschewed (now there's a word you don't see everyday 😊) - hated the Samaritans for various reasons and the one that is most predominant is they are the children of Jew-Gentile relationships, whether through voluntary marriage, rape by conquering armies of Assyrians and Babylonians, servitude and sex-slaves of the conquering armies, or women merely seeking to survive their tragic calamity of being conquered and their cities and lives destroyed coupled with Gentiles for this reason. But if Jewish blood is in their veins God will keep His promises and so I believe on this point that Samaritans are a covenant people as are "blue blood" Jews. I also believe the Samaritans play a large purpose with God in His Redemptive Plan for His covenant people Israel.

So, as far as Samaritan goes Jesus asked the question, "Which of these was the man's neighbor" implies to me that these were all Hebrew/Jewish and by asking "neighbor" and the original instruction of one tribe to a neighbor tribe around the Tabernacle, they were all Jewish in this story implying and harking back to the original command of love in Leviticus 19:17-19. The animosity Jesus had to deal with among His people was not only Jew and Samaritan but also the hatred between the northern and southern tribal kingdoms that still existed when He arrived. Being rumored and even proven in the eyes of some and many that He was Israel's Messiah also meant He was Israel's Prophet and King, and as King (not yet) He would definitely in my view at least try to impart some instruction or command - story, parable, or literal - to Israel to return back to the original command in their Law and love each other. Whether it was received or not the Samaritan story accomplished that.

 

[Michael37]

1 hour ago, jeremiah1five said:

Since Jesus was sent to the lost sheep of the House of Israel, and Jesus sent His disciples to the lost sheep of the House of Israel, and the New Covenant prophesied in Jeremiah 31:31-34 is with the House of Israel, Jesus came and taught Israel and whose coming was to and for the House of Israel as Promised in Deuteronomy, unless the context of a Scripture or subject in Scripture identifies a broader audience of say, Gentiles, or Moabites, or Canaanites, etc., the context of His story is referencing Jewish ideas and concepts and Jewish history and culture and religion. That's what I find when I study Scripture. You'll notice that all three individuals in the "Good Samaritan" story are all related to Israel: a priest, a Levite, a Samaritan. Again, instructing those in covenant to love those in covenant and for neighbor or brother (although not mentioned) are to help neighbor or brother among the twelve tribes. There is no mention of Gentiles in this story. If it did there would most likely be a different outcome.

And I am a believer that God does not lie. It is impossible for Him to lie. I also believe God made promises to Israel and that God will keep all promises He's made to Israel even if Israel in their fallen state as sinners needing atonement every year until Messiah and Savior came and died for His covenant Israel, God still has promises to keep with regard to Israel that see a future - even present - fulfillment. So, although Israel at the time eschewed (now there's a word you don't see everyday 😊) - hated the Samaritans for various reasons and the one that is most predominant is they are the children of Jew-Gentile relationships, whether through voluntary marriage, rape by conquering armies of Assyrians and Babylonians, servitude and sex-slaves of the conquering armies, or women merely seeking to survive their tragic calamity of being conquered and their cities and lives destroyed coupled with Gentiles for this reason. But if Jewish blood is in their veins God will keep His promises and so I believe on this point that Samaritans are a covenant people as are "blue blood" Jews. I also believe the Samaritans play a large purpose with God in His Redemptive Plan for His covenant people Israel.

So, as far as Samaritan goes Jesus asked the question, "Which of these was the man's neighbor" implies to me that these were all Hebrew/Jewish and by asking "neighbor" and the original instruction of one tribe to a neighbor tribe around the Tabernacle, they were all Jewish in this story implying and harking back to the original command of love in Leviticus 19:17-19. The animosity Jesus had to deal with among His people was not only Jew and Samaritan but also the hatred between the northern and southern tribal kingdoms that still existed when He arrived. Being rumored and even proven in the eyes of some and many that He was Israel's Messiah also meant He was Israel's Prophet and King, and as King (not yet) He would definitely in my view at least try to impart some instruction or command - story, parable, or literal - to Israel to return back to the original command in their Law and love each other. Whether it was received or not the Samaritan story accomplished that.

 

The correct answer cuts through all the extraneous diatribes of self-justification.

Luk 10:36-37  So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"  (37)  And he said, "He who showed mercy on him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
 

[AnOrangeCat]

10 hours ago, Sower said:

“Who was a neighbor to the man?” asks Jesus, reversing the scribe’s question. We like to put ourselves in the sandals of the passersby, trusting that we who do not know the names of the people on our own street would take sufficient notice of the man in the ditch to save his life. It does not occur to us that we are the man in the ditch. We are the sinners. We are those who long for immortality but who are destined to die.

We are the wretch who has been robbed and beaten and left for dead. The scribe expects an appeal to his almsgiving; instead, he is instructed in his own weakness, moral and bodily. Do not play the patron, says Jesus. You are the one who needs the neighbor.

Excellent post. This part in particular stood out to me as someone who's been in the ditch and saw people from the church pass on by until one of them didn't. I do get that you're pointing out he spiritual element of this and completely agree, but having been hit hard by this in a physical/material sense it's difficult for me to not reflect on that experience when this kind of topic comes up. It does feel like loving your neighbor as yourself has become a lot more rare and difficult these days.

On 12/18/2023 at 8:28 PM, Yes, and said:

Do you think Esolen accurately depicts the reality of life in most of the US and Canada? (Since he doesn't go beyond these two countries, neither will I. But, if you happen to live in another country and want to participate, by all means...!)

I think so. There's bound to be exceptions and degrees, of course. I've lived all over the country over the course of my life and dealt with people of all ages, and see my own generation (I was born in the early 80s) as a transitional one between the time when face to face interaction was a day to day reality and today's one where so much is done over distance via the internet and a lot of people don't even know their literal neighbor's name. Here in the rural Texas I think the detachment from community is less severe but still present.

On 12/18/2023 at 8:28 PM, Yes, and said:

Do you think that since 2005 the conditions he describes perhaps have gotten more extreme?

Probably. I've noticed a rise in social anxiety amongst the younger people, along with some other traits that seem to feed into it and point to some underlying dysfunction(s).

On 12/18/2023 at 8:28 PM, Yes, and said:

If you believe his depiction is accurate, how does it make you feel? Then, think through ways in which you could act to change things in your own sphere. What would you do? What could you do? Or…Do you believe there's no real point in doing anything about it?

I mostly feel resigned about it. I want to believe in a better world even though I don't. It's something I long for, I just don't expect to see it on earth anymore.  I'm coming from a place of being housebound with a history of being abused and amongst other things having the idea that my opinions, actions, and feelings don't really matter. God instilled some traits that made me rather resilient against that sort of abuse but still it's left me rather jaded, so short of advising and occasionally reaching out to people it seems I can help out I don't feel like there's a whole lot I can do. So far as no point goes I see a certain duality there. Maybe it's just setting realistic expectations. So far as the big picture goes I don't think we can really affect it. Jesus said the love of many would wax cold so I think it's inevitable.

But I think there's more to it than the big picture. In the situation I alluded to above when replying to Sower that one guy from the church who took the time to pray with me and drive me home made such an impression on me that I still smile a little. Just having someone offer me a ride home and taking the time to listen to me and pray for me was so encouraging. As long as my earthly brain holds out I'm going to remember that guy. We can definitely change things for the better on a person to person scale. And at the end of the day it's also important to remember that loving our neighbors as ourselves isn't something we need to do to change things. It's an explicitly stated commandment.

[Neighbor]

This thread triggered my own thinking toward what is a neighborhood today? Where is it that one might cloister? Is it even  physical in this age of cyber exchange with both physical exchange of goods and services, as well as the exchange of ideas and other non material things, including Christian message board exchanges?

PERHAPS today individuals take their own neighborhood with them, wherever they go. Each carries their neighborhood along in a cell phone or within a tablet with WIFI available most everywhere.  Well not so much in the very rural retreat available to me in the mountains, but otherwise I am connected, like it or not to the "neighborhood". And my neighbor can be next door or in lands that  used to be foreign. I say used to be because they are now very much closer reality that I deal with often to daily without even thinking of the individual(s) as being far away. They are close neighbors.

Perhaps also those that look isolated with cell phones in hand all the time are not separated but unable to separate, the cell phone being a placenta to the umbilical cord of cyber connectivity, that you and I are using this very moment on WCF. We are neighbors no matter where we are!

Are individuals more materialistic than ever before? I don't think so, maybe less so even. There is a rather fascinating worldwide movement towards sharing and giving back and as the expression declares paying forward. This is the nearly essential part of new thriving businesses  that utilize heavily cyber communication. They pass on a portion of their income to a cause of some sort, usually one that helps alleviate a shortage somewhere that other people may be suffering from. Is that materialism?  It may be good business it may be sincere sharing too! It is material in the sense of real benefit occurring as result.

Is there more of that kind of materialism today? I guess there is, but is that a bad thing? Probably not.

Maybe materialism  gets a bad rap for it seems it can be used for good and is not necessarily  a distraction from God. Maybe it is a fulfillment of God's will for us; to pay back and pay forward in appreciation of Him, and of the willing paying back  as well as forward by Jesus for our eternal benefit which was as is a material act I suppose. a very generous and merciful one.

Still, one need know who it is they appreciate and why. For that I think blesses God even as He blesses those that He has saved out from under His just wrath against a seriously flawed materialism, that of placing anything  above Him in our heart and in our actions.

The neighborhood has gotten bigger as the world gets smaller with all that neighborhood being available to most all of us today. Perhaps that has the effect of making us more materialistic than ever before as we see the lost and the need. And maybe that is not a bad thing but instead a grand thing a terrific opportunity to be used of God like never before. Maybe it too is a sign right now during this time of the signs.

Edited December 20, 2023 by Neighbor
trying to improve a sentence to make it understandable.

[Yes, and]

Thank you for the responses so far. I'm appreciating the thoughtfulness and looking to engaging more fully when I next have a good amount of time. I esp. appreciate yours OrangeCat because you fully and completely responded to each and every question (A+—but still like some of the others because there's some good food for thought there).

Anyone else want to tackle this?

[Michael37]

6 hours ago, Neighbor said:

Perhaps also those that look isolated with cell phones in hand all the time are not separated but unable to separate, the cell phone being a placenta to the umbilical cord of cyber connectivity, that you and I are using this very moment on WCF. We are neighbors no matter where we are!

There is an element of choice with regard to our interactions. Some of my neighbours are not very sociable.

[Sower]

On 12/19/2023 at 4:52 AM, Neighbor said:

Here I am, here I am!

 ..

 .. 

 

If You think you are, then you must BE.........(cogito, ergo sum..."I think, therefore I am")
René Descartes's philosophy, "je pense, donc je suis" searching for  "a statement that could not be doubted"!
I kinda always wondered if you are/is/were/going to BE, Neighbor
But no problem, as soon you will know as you are known...

[Neighbor]

11 hours ago, Sower said:

If You think you are, then you must BE

Or altenatively as the Christian Scientist believing he does not truly exist declared "I am a figment of my  own imagination".