Read Luke 10: 25-37

Sometimes the truths Jesus want to reveal to us go even deeper than the questions we bring to Him. Consider this interaction between Jesus and the expert in the law using the questions below:

• What are the motivations of the expert in the law?
• The expert in the law asks the question “who is my neighbor,” but Jesus ends the parable asking, “who was a neighbor?” Why does this shift matter?
• What is Jesus trying to show the expert in the law through this parable?
   

Go and do

The expert in the law was limited in who he believed he was commanded to love because he had a limited understanding of who was his neighbor. Like with the expert in the law, Jesus invites us to love God and love others by being a good neighbor to those around us. Take some time with the questions below:

• Who on campus have you considered to be your neighbor? What groups of people do you spend the most time with or know the most about?
• Who have you not considered to be your neighbor? What individuals or groups of people do you rarely interact with or avoid (students, staff, faculty, or otherwise)?

Now take a step into Jesus’s invitation to “go and do likewise” and think through some ways to intentionally pursue your campus neighbors. Here are some suggestions:

• Ask God to bring to mind one of your campus neighbors. Take time to pray over that person during this next week.
• Learn the names of spiritually seeking people, or people who don’t have faith in Jesus on your campus. Ask them what they think about spirituality or faith. Receive their story by thanking them and asking if they’d like to hear yours.
• Visit a club meeting or event on campus (show, gathering, etc.) that you wouldn’t normally go to. Enjoy the experience and thank the hosts. Reflect on what you found beautiful about that.
• Interview a service worker (janitor, cook or dining services), a non-traditional student, or someone else who might be unseen on campus about their experience and story. Thank them for sharing part of their life with you.
   

Reflect on what you learned

• What did you learn about your neighbors on campus?
• How did others respond to you as you were practicing neighboring?
• As you learned about your neighbors, what did you learn about how to be a neighbor?