A recent major storm sent me out, with snow shovel in hand, to deal with a significant accumulation of ice and snow. As my neighbor and I were both shoveling our driveways, we would take an occasional break and chat. As we talked, I saw, with some jealousy, that his driveway was getting cleaned thoroughly, while I was settling for two single tracks. Freezing rain followed by six inches of snow was making it hard work and I was tired! My neighbor was too, and probably had others duties that demanded his attention. After he finished his driveway, he stopped shoveling. His sidewalk remained untouched.

My other next door neighbor gets out his snow blower every time there is a couple of inches of snow. After he takes care of his driveway and sidewalks, he continues on. I’ve often come home from work, ready to shovel, and the sidewalk has already been done. I believe that sometimes he even goes around the whole block, doing everyone’s public walk.

Both my neighbors are nice guys. Both speak to me. Both have done me favors. In fact, both are probably better neighbors than I am. But they have profoundly different ways of looking at the world. It reminds me of the story of the Good Samaritan from Luke 10.
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 26 "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?" 27 He answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" 28 "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live." 29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" 30 In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.' 36 "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" 37 The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

Jesus’ parable breaks the myth that a personal relationship with God is the only thing that really matters. To those who heard Jesus’ words, priests and Levites would be important people to their community, and a Samaritan would be someone to avoid as an outcast because he didn’t worship God in the “right way.” A priest had very specific duties given by God in the Temple. Without priests offering service and sacrifice, it was impossible for God to not reject His people because of their sin and uncleanness. Levites would have the privilege of serving God in the Temple as the Levites assistants. Very specific rules were given by God on how these things were to be done. Priests had been killed by God for not taking them seriously. These rules included being ritually clean through not touching a dead person, or one who had a discharge from an infected wound. The importance of these duties, and the importance of not being temporarily disqualified would have been clear to the listeners. They both had good reason to not get involved! The Law made this very clear. The man in story was half dead, and perhaps appeared dead. Or his wounds may have been oozing pus. The error of each was choosing personal faithfulness to God to the exclusion of compassion for his “neighbor.”

Jesus’ parables are meant to be uncomfortable. They are meant to stretch boundaries, and to show us our own hypocrisy. They are meant to make difficult concepts understandable. To me, shoveling driveways and sidewalks is a parable from God. It shows me truth about myself. It shows me what my real priorities are.

The following might be my thoughts, or yours:
“So what if I don’t want to shovel my sidewalk! I’m tired after shoveling my driveway and I’ve got things to do! So what if my driveway is much more important to me! I’m doing it for my wife! I am doing it so I can go to work! To church! I need to go to the grocery to get food for my family! I need to go to my friend’s house! He needs my help”

So what indeed. This is important because it shows how I look at those around me. Am I like the priest and Levite, so caught up in my importance, or the importance of my duties, that I avoid someone in need as a distraction? Or am I like the Samaritan who had spent a lifetime being an obstacle to those with a pure religion, and knew how he longed to be treated. Am I like the religious leaders in Jesus’ parable to whom status and responsibility were more important than the people in need around them? For me, I must ask the question that was asked of Jesus: “Who is my neighbor?” Are the children going to the corner to catch the school bus my neighbors? Will they have to walk in the street, or can they use my sidewalk? What about the neighbor who walks her dog in front of my house? Am I limited to seeing my own needs, or do I see and respond to the needs of others? Am I an isolated individual, or am I a member of a community?
My neighbor with the snow blower sometimes shares something encouraging about our common faith, or shares interesting tidbits about his service at his local church. His words are not empty because I see how he treats his neighbor, me.

Some Hard Questions:
1. Who is your neighbor today?
2. What does God want you to do for him/her?
3. How are you like the priest and Levite?
4. How are you like the Samaritan?
5. Jesus tied inheriting eternal life to how you treat your neighbor. Are you comfortable with that? Why or why not?