1 John 4:7-8,20-21 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love…If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Generally whenever I read or hear this scripture I burst into song, usually out loud but sometimes in my brain for the sake of everyone else present. I can’t help it! All those 80’s and 90’s kid tunes are so dang catchy! Anyways, in my current frustration with so many habits of the Western Church, I found myself digging deep into the Word on this topic of love.
Today “love” seems to be a buzzword. It’s not an uncommon word, so it was already well used. But it seems to be a word that is continually redefined. Every generation has their own connotation for the word love. Today’s “love” appears to be the word du jour.
Love has gone from a childish crush to sex to a general tolerance for everyone and everything to “that feeling” that makes it the right time to move in together. Today, especially in socially aware younger generations, love is all about an action. Not a sexual one of course, but it’s a display of care for another person (or entity): often less fortunate.
So what does the Truth have to say about it? After studying 1 John, I was compelled to see how Jesus defined love. Ten years ago, everyone’s favorite verse was Jeremiah 29:11. Today it is quickly becoming Luke 10:27. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.
The lawyer in this discussion with Jesus about obtaining eternal life knew the law well and therefore had this correct answer. But in an effort to outsmart the Truth he asks: “And who is my neighbor?” To that Jesus says this:
"A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.' Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?"
(Luke 10:30-36 ESV)
“The one who showed him mercy.” I can imagine how that lawyer felt as he mumbled what he knew wad right. I was a “smart-mouth” of a child and I clearly remember times when I tried to outsmart and out-talk my parents, only to be stuck at a dead end. Not only did I not get my way, but I was found in the wrong. And I HATE to be wrong. I was caught in manipulation and didn’t even come out on top. Imagine the degree of sinking stomach syndrome when this was Jesus! This is a man who was proclaimed to be the Christ. Officials hated Him. Masses loved Him. And he just outwitted him in his own area of expertise. He trapped himrself! Just like an adolescent elbows his buddies: “watch this,” he says. He's not only going to do something arrogantly menacing, but he's going to get away with it right under his parents noses. Just kidding! Caught. Humiliated. Wrong. And for this lawyer it's God!
Jesus gives him His usual charge: “You go, and do likewise.” Okay so now we have Jesus’ answer. What does it mean for us?
We are supposed to show mercy. What is that? Webster defines it as compassionate treatment of those in distress. That makes sense. And most of us feel like we are pretty merciful people. I just have one problem with the way things work today. With so many organizations that take care of people in distress, we have gotten in the habit of “giving” to advocates. To me it looks like our generosity is actually paying someone else to have compassion. Before the Samaritan payed the innkeeper to take care of the man, he bandaged his wounds! Our giving IS NOT the “compassionate treatment” of anyone. And although it fulfills “give to the poor,” I do not believe it is entirely obedient to “love your neighbor”.
Okay, so who counts as a person in distress? The guy in the parable was robbed and beaten. So we should take care of those who are abused and stolen from? For sure! But this leads us to an all to familiar issue. A large number of homeless, hungry, hurting and others in need have made bad choices that got them there. Should we pick up after their mistakes? Please forgive me if I dig into this parable a little to deep, but Jesus didn’t explain what the man was going to Jericho for or why he ended up robbed. Maybe he had business there, but then again maybe he was running from the law. Was he just walking down the road when he got jumped, or did he pick a fight at the local well? Most likely Jesus didn’t explain it because it wasn’t important. Culturally many things are possible and it was common for robbers to wait for unsuspecting travelers.
This leads me to believe, however, that maybe we shouldn’t ask why the robbed need mercy: just give it to them! I definitely think that we have a responsibility to hold our brothers accountable and not enable the sinner. But I don’t think it’s our responsibility to oversee their “punishment”. People do make their own choices; I recognize this. But every single prostitute, addict and whomever else we excuse ourselves from showing mercy to has been robbed. Someone started them on the path that has brought them to you so broken. No little girl sits in third grade and decides she wants to make a living getting paid to allow strange men to use her body for whatever perversions they happen to be in the mood for. If we leave every bum begging on the street because, “he probably drank himself there in the first place,” then to whom exactly are we showing mercy?
Church! Rise Up! Bandage wounds! Stop asking why the guy was robbed in the first place. That’s God’s business, not yours. Stop hesitating to bandage him up and spend your money on him because of what he might go and do. If he uses his renewed strength to rob a passer-by or your five dollar bill to get some booze, did you not still show him mercy and therefore obey your Savior? Is this not the first step to keeping him from the exact sins you suspect him of? It’s as if Jesus not only defines what a neighbor is, but also asks us to simply be a neighbor to everyone in need of one.
God has dealt with His children in this area before. For a Scripture that is great for meditating on, challenging and convicting: please read Isaiah 58.
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