Happy Friday, my fellow anime lovers!
The story of “The Good Samaritan” from Luke 10:25-37 would have shocked listeners when Jesus first told it because of whom it is He positioned as the “good neighbor.” As a hated Samaritan, this neighbor is not the hero that listeners would have expected. Today, I want to look at another good neighbor—an anime one—who likewise doesn’t seem to fit the role.
Anime Devo
But first, let’s dive into Matthew 22:37-40, where Jesus shares the greatest commandments in the Law:
And he said to him,“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
But who is a good neighbor? Is it the person next door that babysits your kids on Friday nights? Or perhaps the elderly woman down the street that bakes you fresh cookies? There are many examples of neighborly people in the Bible, but one that stands out is the kind soul at the center of the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
In this story, a Jewish man was robbed and injured by a group of thieves. Neither a priest nor a Levite raised a hand to aid the poor man when they passed by him. Then came a member of the Samaritans, a people who had an ongoing religious, cultural, and political feud with the Jews. This traveler had compassion on the injured man. After treating his wounds, he took him to an inn and paid for his stay, along with any additional treatment the man may have needed.
Jesus asks, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The unlikely answer is, of course, the Samaritan. Being a neighbor doesn’t mean you have to live next door or nearby. It doesn’t even mean doing good to someone whom you naturally feel kindly toward. Being a godly neighbor means being hospitable, compassionate, and caring, even to someone you don’t know—even to an enemy. And as such, our kindest neighbors are often those we least expect.
Take Yusuke Urameshi from Yu Yu Hakusho for instance. The junior delinquent is the last person one would expect to sacrifice himself to save a kid’s life, but that’s exactly what he does. Yusuke, despite his harsh outward appearance, deeply cares for others and has a soft spot towards children, even going so far as to risk his own life to protect one he didn’t know. He may be an unlikely candidate, but there is no denying that Yuusuke is a good, godly neighbor. He provides a model for the kind of person we should be, just like the Good Samaritan, whose story ultimately points back to the very one who healed our wounds even though we were His enemies—Jesus Christ.
Weekly mission: Be a “good neighbor” to someone you might not typically interact with.
Memory Verse: “It is a sin to despise one’s neighbor, but blessed is the one who is kind to the needy.” - Proverbs 14:21
BtT in Review
Our Twitch stream premieres on Monday! Gaming industry artist Whit will lead our stream, drawing anime-style art while chatting with y’all. The first stream will be on Monday evening starting at 7:00 p.m. ET. Follow us, set your alert, and join us then!
Nathan Webb is a pastor to geeks and gamers, but his own nerdy passion, cultivated as a kid, is anime and manga, particularly Shonen Jump series.
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