Scripture: Luke 10:25–37
Preacher: Pastor Seth Naicker
Church: URCSA Orange Farm Central, Stand 8200, Extension 3, Orange Farm

Drawing from the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25–37, Pastor Seth Naicker challenged the congregation to rethink the meaning of being a neighbor in the midst of the growing xenophobia and Afrophobia affecting South Africa.

The sermon reminded the church that Jesus’ answer to the lawyer’s question, “Who is my neighbor?”, shattered cultural, racial, and social barriers. In the parable, it was not the religious leaders who demonstrated God’s love, but a Samaritan—a person whom the Jews despised and regarded as an outsider. Jesus taught that a true neighbor is identified not by nationality, ethnicity, or legal status, but by compassion, mercy, and love.

Pastor Seth reflected on the painful reality that many immigrants living in South Africa have become victims of violence, intimidation, and discrimination. While acknowledging the genuine frustrations many South Africans feel regarding unemployment, poverty, crime, and poor service delivery, he emphasized that these frustrations should never be directed at vulnerable immigrants and refugees. The failures of government cannot be corrected by attacking fellow human beings who are also seeking safety, dignity, and an opportunity to provide for their families.

The sermon challenged the growing tendency where ordinary citizens have assumed the role of immigration officials, demanding documentation from anyone they perceive to be “foreign.” Such attitudes, Pastor Seth noted, contradict the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which calls believers to see every person as someone created in the image of God.

The congregation was reminded that throughout history, every community has benefited from the kindness, skills, and contributions of people who came from elsewhere. Nearly every family can recall a time when they were helped by someone who was considered a stranger or a foreigner. God often uses unexpected people to bring blessing into our lives.

Pastor Seth also reflected on Africa’s shared history. While South Africans were celebrating the birth of democracy in 1994, Rwanda was experiencing one of the darkest moments in human history through the genocide that claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. This historical contrast serves as a reminder of how quickly hatred, division, and intolerance can destroy societies when people stop seeing one another as neighbors.

The message further pointed to the life of Jesus Himself. Shortly after His birth, Joseph and Mary fled with the infant Jesus into Egypt to escape King Herod’s attempt to kill Him (Matthew 2:13–15). For a period of His childhood, Jesus lived as a refugee in a foreign land. This powerful biblical example reminds Christians that God identifies with the displaced, the refugee, and the stranger.

Quoting the biblical truth that “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it” (Psalm 24:1), Pastor Seth reminded the congregation that no nation ultimately belongs to human beings. Everything belongs to God, and all people are accountable to Him for how they treat one another.

The sermon concluded with a heartfelt call for tolerance, reconciliation, and Christian love. Followers of Christ are called to reject hatred, prejudice, xenophobia, and Afrophobia. Instead, they are to imitate the Good Samaritan by showing mercy, extending hospitality, and caring for those in need regardless of nationality, language, race, or background.

As Jesus concluded His parable with the words, “Go and do likewise,” Pastor Seth encouraged every believer to become the kind of neighbor that reflects the heart of Christ—a neighbor who chooses compassion over fear, love over hatred, and mercy over judgment.

May the Church continue to be a place where every person is welcomed with the love of Christ, remembering that in God’s Kingdom, our greatest identity is not where we come from, but that we are all His children.

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