Who Is My Neighbor: A Spiritual Reflection on Juneteenth (Part 1)

In “Who Is My Neighbor,” we explore the meaning of Juneteenth and what it reveals about freedom, love, and seeing one another fully.

What Is Juneteenth—and Why Does It Matter?

Imagine working diligently at your job for two years—and not getting paid for any of that time. You’d cry, “Unfair!” and then celebrate when you finally got a paycheck.

That’s what happened to many enslaved African Americans during the Civil War.

• President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863.
• He declared that slaves held in the Confederate states were free.

But without social media, television, or even radio, the news did not travel quickly, so some African Americans remained enslaved, not free.

Even worse, some slave owners deliberately withheld the information.

It wasn’t until June 19, 1865—more than two years later—that Union soldiers finally arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced freedom to the last group of enslaved people.

By then, the Civil War had been over for three months.

That moment—freedom finally realized—is why Juneteenth is not only important, but also deeply worthy of celebration.

 

The True Meaning of Freedom

In Galatians, Paul urged believers not to return to legalism or any system that binds them again. While he’s speaking specifically about the Old Testament law, the principle applies more broadly—Christ sets us free from sin, legalism, condemnation, and all forms of spiritual bondage.

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (5:1 ESV).

As Ta-Nehisi Coates put it:
“To celebrate Juneteenth is to celebrate the unbreakable will to be free, and to remember that the struggle for freedom never truly ends.”

God’s Heart for Freedom

Liberty and freedom are recursive themes throughout Scripture:

Proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants (Leviticus 25:10 ESV).

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor (Isaiah 61:1–2 ESV).

And he [Jesus] began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21 ESV).

Jesus calls His followers to bring the Good News and proclaim liberty to those in need as well.

Juneteenth embodies God’s heart for freedom, restoration, and justice.

Who Is My Neighbor?

In Luke 10:25–37 (ESV), we see a lawyer who came to Jesus and asked what he had to do to gain eternal life. The answer? “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (v. 27). Jesus told him to go do that, but the lawyer pressed further, “Who is my neighbor?” (v. 29).

How would you answer this question: Who is your neighbor?

• Is it someone who looks like you, or someone who looks different?
• Is it someone who shares your religion, or is it someone who worships differently?
• Is it someone whose language you speak, or is it someone whose English is broken?

How Does Juneteenth Belong to All of Us?

We don’t need to share someone’s experiences to stand beside them. But we do need to listen to them. C.S. Lewis said, “We read [and listen] to know we are not alone.”

Think back to a time when:

• You were overlooked
• Your opinions were silenced
• Your story was not heard

Being overlooked or silenced hurts because your story matters … and so does mine.

When we refuse to listen to the experiences of our African-American brothers and sisters, we are silencing them and severing the connection between us.

Love Listens

This Juneteenth 2025, let’s honor and celebrate Juneteenth not as a political act/maneuver, but as an act of Kingdom unity. Loving our neighbors is obedience to God, not an option.

So I ask again, who is your neighbor? Your neighbor is an image bearer of God—no matter what they look like.

Lean in; don’t look away. Love begins with listening to your neighbor’s story.

Honoring your neighbors’ Juneteenth celebrations is just the beginning of the journey toward love and truth. Remember Paul’s admonition in Philippians:

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others (2:4 ESV).

…

Cowritten with Austin Smith.

Ready to dig into more of what it means to be a good neighbor as a Jesus follower? Faith meets real life here. Discover more stories and tools to help you thrive.

*Look for Part 2, “Who Is My Neighbor: Bridging the Gap Between Emancipation and Equality, Part 2” coming on June 27.