For the teacher of the law who asked the question the appearance of the Samaritan as the hero of the story would be like a slap across his face. Samaritans were considered half-breeds by Jewish people in this day. They were reviled and despised. Today's equivalent in many parts of America would be the Muslim or the immigrant. Yet this reviled image is the one who had compassion where religiosity failed to show any. Why is it that the world has more compassion on hurting people than the church? He provided the victim with medical attention for his pre-existing conditions. What he had he freely gave. He then spent his own money to make sure the man would heal and survive. The only thing that mattered was the well-being of the least. Not citizenship, sovereignty, or customs and laws. The only thing that mattered was what was right and what was wrong. That is how the church is a shining city on a hill. An unfettered understanding of right and wrong that does not allow personal preferences or politics to corrupt it. Jesus ties up the parable with the lesson:
Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" He said, "The one who showed him mercy." And Jesus said to him, "You go, and do likewise." -- Luke 10: 36-37 (ESV)
Who is my neighbor was the original question designed to justify the asker. Jesus turned the tables on him though as He does for us every day with His Gospel. You want to talk about murder? Let's deal with your anger. You want to talk about adultery? Let's deal with your lust. The bar was constantly being raised. You want to claim the mantle of Christianity? What are you doing with the lost, the hurt, the broken, the victim, the refugee, and the marginalized in society? Jesus said it easy to love those who love you! He also said as you do for the least of these you do unto Him. Read the Sermon on the Mount and ask yourself how well your carnal arguments hold up to the teachings of Jesus Christ. Realize this is not merely a New Testament phenomenon:
"You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry, - Exodus 22: 21-23 (ESV)
This is and always has been the heart of God. How did the church become an agent devoid of the mercy it has been shown by Christ? Years and years of compromise and the infiltration of the seven mountains heresy through the NAR are the obvious culprits. The church now is in bed with the state. The Bible says we are supposed to be pilgrims in this land with citizenship in heaven. Whatever you think these children and parents have done it will pale in comparison to what God has already forgiven you of. We are supposed to pay that mercy forward so that when we see the man lying on the side of the road, we will not cross to the other side for all the pseudo-pious reasons our wickedly deceitful hearts can manufacture. We are supposed to represent the mercy of Jesus Christ so that when we see babies being torn from their mother's arms we refuse to believe this is the best option and more importantly, we do not scour social media and news to find what talking points can be used to actually side against the children. We do not blindly accept lies and present them as facts to try and accept the unacceptable. We do no damage to the witness of Christ by standing up in self-justification asking, well, who is my neighbor?
Reverend Anthony Wade -- June 19, 2018
Postscript -- I pray that anyone who reads this understands that I am making a Christian argument, not a carnal one. You must realize that worldly forces in both political parties have agendas that do not align with the cause of Christ. Their main focus is to throw enough mud against the wall that people are confused as to what the truth is and then demonize the media for daring to tell the truth. If you honestly believe that the media is fake because you do not agree with what they report then you are not enlightened. You are deceived. For the record this issue is about one thing only. Children being separated from parents at the border who are seeking asylum in this country. This is not about child trafficking, smuggling, MS13, illegal border crossing or any of the other distractions people use to avoid the truth about the only actual issue at hand. This is a new policy, not an old law. If it were not new, it would not have exploded as such and we would not have video of government representatives saying it would be a new policy. Were there some instances in past administrations where children had been separated? Sure. But those were outliers, not policy that has resulted in multiple thousands of kids crying in cages. And yes, those are cages. As for a solution, I do not need one to be able to call nonsense on the current plan. That said, how about not separating kids from their parents as a plan? So HHS can continue to assist and provide food and education while the parent's asylum claim is adjudicated or while the misdemeanor violation is processed. This is not rocket science beloved. The government is on record as saying they would separate families to act as a deterrent from future people seeking the border. That is obscene beyond measure and it is disturbing to see so many Christians silent or in complete support of such an evil scheme. That is how insidious the poison of the NAR has been in the church today. But those are part of the Christian arguments made above. This section is to assuage anyone seeking answers to the carnal questions. I will not tolerate any such debate on this issue from a carnal perspective. If you have a scripture you think I have overlooked, please let us reason together. If you want to talk about law, talking points, or any other carnal argument, please find a political forum where I am sure you will find plenty of takers to argue with. This is about the cause of Jesus Christ and our role as the Good Samaritan when we come across the neediest in society. Let us not cross the street beloved.
