When Jesus was asked the question, "Who is my neighbour?" he answered with that pearl of parables so familiar to every student of the Bible, the parable of the good Samaritan. This parable has stood as the epitome of teaching in regard to true neighborliness from the day Jesus gave it to the present time, and many have been the attempts to live up to its high ethics. In proportion to the unselfishness of the effort has there been some measure of success; but many a failure has resulted because of a mistaken starting point. When one thinks of his neighbor from a mortal, personal sense of things, he is apt to find his association with him sadly awry, and all sorts of difficulties, apparently insurmountable, appear to prevent the expression of loving-kindness which he desires to manifest. It is only as one learns through the teaching of Christian Science to base his every thought and act on Principle that he can hope to gain the results which Jesus brought out in his life.
Some day each one must work out perfectly this love for God and man. In the endeavor to do this, one should never forget that it is not his work to solve his neighbor's problem for him; he has only to work out his own association with his neighbor. Then one should not hesitate to obey the teaching of Christian Science and turn instantly, in all his thinking, away from any mortal mind testimony, to the contemplation of the Christ, the image and likeness of God. Affirming the all-presence of God and His perfect manifestation can never harm anyone. On the contrary, such loyalty to divine Mind and its idea is the only way for one to gain sufficient wisdom and intelligence to express the love which will finally help to heal and save both his neighbor and himself. There is no one who does not know something of what true, unselfish loving means, and the Christian Scientist should be on guard lest in his endeavor to be metaphysical he lose sight of the sense of neighborliness by clinging only to the letter of Science, when the simple expression of the spirit in some gentle act, some tender word of sympathy, is what would be most healing, most effectual.
One need not fear that to love his neighbor as himself will in any way close his eyes to error of any name or nature. Neither will it make one liable to fall into the mistake of neutrality or of condonation of evil in any direction. Instead, the truer and purer his love, the more quickly will he be able to detect and reject all that is unlike Love. Mrs. Eddy tells us (Miscellany, p. 288), "Love unfolds marvellous good and uncovers hidden evil." Jesus, the perfect demonstrator of divine Love, knew that Thomas doubted, that Peter would deny, and that Judas would betray; but this never for an instant turned him from patient, steadfast loving; neither did it interfere with his associating with these disciples in the most neighborly way. He thus afforded them every possible opportunity to learn of Truth and Love as taught and demonstrated by him. And what was the effect upon the disciples? Thomas gave up his doubt, saying, "My Lord and my God;" Peter, in true repentance, went out and wept bitterly, thereafter growing into ever greater ability to demonstrate the love which he had seen his Master prove, by doing the same works the Master did; and even Judas was quickly plunged into the depths of remorse.
