Who Is My Neighbor?: Lessons Learned from a Man Left for Dead

An “expert in the law” once asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life—and his question initiated a very interesting conversation. The Law says to “love your neighbor as yourself,” Jesus pointed out, so the next logical question is, “Who is my neighbor?” Rather than offering the lawyer an exhaustive list of neighbors and non-neighbors, Jesus told a story . . . a story we know as the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Out of that famous parable, Dr. Wayne Gordon draws more than 40 characteristics of the man who was beaten, robbed and left for dead on the road to Jericho—the character Jesus created to show Christians how to recognize their neighbors. Dr. Gordon brings that character vividly to life inWho Is My Neighbor?, and helps readers use Jesus’ parable as a reference point for their interactions in their community and the world. And as readers catch Jesus’ vision of neighborliness, they will also find practical suggestions for meeting needs and changing the lives of those around them . . . that is, their neighbors!

WAYNE L. GORDON is founding pastor of Lawndale Community Church in Chicago and president of the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA ), a nationwide network of people and ministries that engage in community development. He is cofounder of the Lawndale Christian Health Center, which sees more than 150,000 patients a year, and founder of the Lawndale Christian Development Corporation, which facilitates economic development, education and housing. Dr. Gordon teaches at several colleges and seminaries and has written extensively on God’s heart for the poor, breaking racial barriers and empowering people. He and his wife, Anne, have three adult children.