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 ONLINE NEIGHBOURS (LUKE 10:29-37)

Jesus teaches good neighbourliness using the parable of the good Samaritan.

REFLECTION

The theme for our reflection this morning is online neighbours. Once upon a time, African societies were closely knit together. Neighbours saw themselves as extended family members and they shared things in common. Strangers were easily welcomed into homes and catered for. Africa was not a perfect continent because of scattered issues of ethnocentrism and tribal conflicts. With the coming of colonialism, Christianity, education, modernity, urbanization and technological advancement the communal life of African societies have been affected positively and negatively. Urbanisation, individualism and the focus on the nuclear family have made it difficult to practice good neighbourliness the way it ought to be. The world has tremendously shifted from physical-contact communal life to a cyber or online community. Although we have neighbours we share boundaries with yet we really do not bother to check on them or find out who they are because we have online neighbours we chat with or communicate with. 

In our time and age, our online neighbours have become more visible than our physical neighbours. The sad development is that although we see friends and family members online (Facebook, WhatsApp and other social media platform) we lack knowledge of the reality in which they find themselves. Most people are trying to present a perfect image of themselves on social media to show that they are successful and doing very well but in reality, they might be struggling financially, going through depression, feeling lonely and dealing with suicidal thoughts, in fact, many people out there with beautiful profile pictures may be going through struggles for which they need help. My dear friend, it is now hard to have people check up on you physically even when you are struggling, we are all comfortable being online neighbours. 

The focus of today’s reflection is that we are encouraged to go beyond cyberspace or online neighbourliness and reach out to our brothers and sister (including strangers) financially, physically and emotionally. Online neighbours are like the priest and the Levite who saw the man who had been attacked by robbers but did nothing about it and bypassed him. Usually, when we go online, we see people struggling and we have reputable and credible organizations using the same platforms to raise funds for them yet we scroll up without donating funds or paying attention to other people’s predicament. In this regard, we are not different from the priest and the Levite who walked past the injured man on the road. We hardly visit those who are close to us on their sickbeds or in hard times but we hurriedly send their bereaved or affected family members condolence text messages and attend their funeral to give donations toward their burials. We have become mere online neighbours. 

Jesus teaches us good neighbourliness when He said “But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:33-37). My dear friend, let us move beyond our addiction to phones, tablets and computers and from our online world, and reach out to people who need our help. Be the good samaritan who will not browse or scroll past those who are in need, do not take pleasure in attending funerals but find it needful to visit the hospital, orphanage, prisons, the poor or destitute and reach out to someone who needs your financial, emotional or physical attention. This is the meaning of true neighbourliness and it extends to anyone God brings your way. Shalom

PRAYER 

ALMIGHTY GOD ENABLE US TO BE SENSITIVE TO THE PLIGHT OF OTHERS SO THAT WE MAY SHOW THEM MERCY JUST AS YOU CONTINUE TO BE MERCIFUL TO US. CURE OUR ADDICTION TO SOCIAL MEDIA AND ONLINE  NEIGHBOURLINESS AND HELP US TO LOVE AND CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER LIKE THE GOOD SAMARITAN. 

Jean-Paul Agidi (Rev)