Matthew 22:36-39 KJV
[36] Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
[37] Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
[38] This is the first and great commandment
[39] And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Is everyone your neighbor, as many people claim?
Leviticus 19:18 KJV
[18] Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.
This verse, which Jesus referred to, tells us that your neighbors are “your people.”
Psalm 79:4 KJV
[4] We are become a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and derision to them that are round about us.
This tells us that your neighbors are those near you, a smaller group.
(Thank you, Patrick C. for this discovery.)
The parable of the Good Samaritan reduces it to an even smaller group. Not all of those nearby are our neighbors.
(See blog “The Good Samaritan.”)