Exodus 22

“Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt.” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭22‬:‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God warned the Israelites not to mistreat or oppress any foreigners among them.  Jesus tells us to go beyond the avoidance of mistreating others. He declares to us that the second greatest commandment is to “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39).  Who is our neighbor?  An expert in the law asked Jesus this question once, and in response, Jesus told the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37).  The Samaritans were a group of people that were hated by the Jews.  In this story, the Samaritan was the hero, and helped the man who was beaten and robbed.  The priest and the Levite did not help.  Jesus’ point was that the Samaritan was living out this command, while the others were not.  We need to search our motives, thoughts and feelings to make sure that we are following these commands.  Therefore, our neighbor is anyone who we come into contact with on a daily basis, whether they are a believer or not.