Had an insightful day yesterday which leads me to share with you today.
I do not like ideologies that claim precedence over human interaction. We all have certain ideals that we prefer. That comes with being a part of and contributor to human culture. My issue is when our ideals become our only mode of thinking. The concept used for when an ideal dictates in part how we act, talk, and engage the world around us is the concept of the ideology. It is our bias, our subjective nature, our reasoning. Most days we can get along with out our ideology having to really show itself fully to others. My issue is not that we as humans have these ideals. My aggravation stems from the moments our ideals allow us to elevate ourselves over and against those who do not share our same ideology. I abhor the reality that some conversations never take place because both parties believe that the other is a liar when in fact neither has met or engaged the other to discover if this is actually true. We kill the human relationship before we even realize there could have been a relationship at all!
Sisters and brothers we know better. I know we know better. To show you this fact I will refer to possibly the most cited parable given to us by Christ; the parable of the Good Samaritan. Found in Luke 10:25-37 Christ cuts to the heart of the issue I have with ideologies. We read in verse 25 that it is an expert in the law that poses the question to Christ. He asks first, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Christ responds in turn a question of his own, "What is written in the law? How do you read it?" Our expert astutely responds, "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 love your neighbor as yourself." Awesome he's got it time to move on right? Well yes, but our expert is still unsure about what this means. He asks, "who is my neighbor?" He is looking for a sub-clause to the greatest commandment. This is the wrong question and in the parable we get an idea of what the question really is and what the answer to that question is.
Before going further in my analysis I want you to actually read Luke 10:25-37. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%2010&version=NIV
There is a link for you. I made it fairly easy for you.
Okay now we can literally be on the same page.
So we see that there is a guy that was robbed beaten and left more or less to die out on one of the most dismal roads I have ever been on. He is as good as gone if no one comes by to help him. Surprisingly three people come down the road. The first two a priest and a Levite see the man go to the other side of the road and pass him by. Now we could explore different reasons as to why the priest and Levite passed by the beaten man, but that is not the point. The point is both the priest and the Levite passed by the man and did nothing for him or his condition.
Similarly we could analyze the historical context of being a Samaritan on the road between Jericho and Jerusalem. Let's say its a little surprising the Samaritan that was not beaten and left to die. I digress. The point is the Samaritan not by virtue of being a Samaritan, but a neighbor, stopped and aided the man. The Samaritan went out of his way to help another person. It was not a question of race, class, status, ethnicity, religion, or connivence. It was a question of humanity. It mattered to the Good Samaritan that another human was left to die, and he did what he could to help.
Being a neighbor is not a matter of proximity. If it were then we could say for a short time the priest and the Levite were neighbors to the beaten man. We do not accept this though, because they did nothing. The man may as well have been the dirt under their sandals by the way they treated him. No the neighbor was the one who had mercy on the beaten man. Being a neighbor is not convenient at all times. No being a neighbor will make you interact with yours and others wounds. You'll be bled on emotionally, spiritually, and possibly physically. Being a neighbor is not about keeping a ledger of mercy in balance between you and your neighbor. No its about being aware of one another. People can receive and give mercy at the same time. Being a neighbor is about mercy on all of our wounds. Brothers and sisters we are all wounded. We all need mercy from one another. Stop and see your own wounds and those of others; you'll be surprised how you can extend and receive mercy. To God be the glory.
Blessings
