Human nature generally steers us towards the familiar. We find comfort in our communities, cultures, and social circles, drawn to those who share our beliefs, backgrounds, religious affiliations, and lifestyles. However, as illustrated in the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), the duty to love our neighbour requires us to move outside our comfort zones. It encourages us to provide compassion and kindness to those who we might otherwise ignore, reject, or dismiss as outsiders. During Jesus’ earthly ministry, Jews and Samaritans were separated by historical animosity, religious differences, and social biases. However, in His parable, Jesus recognises a Samaritan as the true neighbour, demonstrating that love and mercy transcend individual differences. In the narrative of the Good Samaritan Jesus’ response is about being a neighbour to others as well as knowing who our neighbour is. Love is demonstrated by actions, not simply words or emotions. As a result, the response is: “Go and do likewise.”
As Christians, we are required to love our neighbours as ourselves, but as the example above shows, this extends beyond the people in our immediate surroundings, ethnicity, church membership, or even religious affiliation. It is a call to love those who need it. According to Jesus, showing love is how people will know we belong to him (John 13:35). Radical love extends beyond loving those in our community; it includes loving our enemies as well.
In Matthew (5:43-48), Jesus informs the disciples. 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
As we prepare to celebrate Easter, a season when love was perfected by God offering Jesus to the world (John 3:16) and Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection on the third day: “[For] God demonstrates his love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). We are also called to love as our heavenly father loves. This call is neither convenient nor easy. It takes courage to interact with perspectives that differ from our own, humility to learn from people we struggle to comprehend, and a heart eager to love indiscriminately. However, when we move outside of our comfort zones, we not only fulfil the commandment to love our neighbour, but we also become more fully human, reflecting God’s unlimited love. It is an invitation to put aside our differences and embrace our common humanity.
The world is in desperate need of people willing to extend grace, break down barriers, and build bridges. Genuine neighbourliness transcends geography, ethnicity, social status, church denomination, and religious allegiance. In John 13:35, Jesus indicated, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” It is in the show of love that the world recognises Christ in us; when we love as God loves, we become living examples of the gospel.
May the Lord help us to show radical love for one another.
Dr Racheal Adebayo is a pastor and minister of the gospel at the Living Hope Heritage Ministry, an Evangelical Pentecostal Church in Birmingham. Racheal is passionate about preaching the message of hope and love to a dying world. She is also ardent in raising Godly families who will carry the touch of the gospel to the ends of the earth. As a trained theologian, Racheal combines the work of ministry with her academic career. As a theological educator, Racheal was involved in training pastors from different denominations for the church ministry as well as mentoring pastors’ wives for pastoral ministry in one of the largest evangelical denominations in Nigeria, the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA). She is the author of a research article “Distinguishing between Religion and Spirituality: Listening to Teenagers within the (RCCG) Pentecostal Churches.”
Racheal is also a public speaker of the Word, a defender of teenagers’ religion and spirituality, and a children and youth teacher trainer.