It’s easy to be unfair. It takes time and mental effort to really be fair. Most people don’t want to do that, which creates a lot of our current world problems.
The world loves simplification, but as I’ve stated previously, simplification is good for things, but terrible for people. Why? Because people are not simple. But oh how we want them to be simple. The simplification of people is the place where we divide people into categories. Simplification of people is where stereotypes and racism are born. Simplification of people breaks people into us versus them categories.
As God’s people, we’re called to rise above the simplification of people. In Luke chapter 10, we read about an expert in God’s law testing Jesus – Luke 10:25-29
25 And behold, a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?” 27 And he answered, “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.” 28 And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” 29 But wanting to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” (emphasis mine)
The man Jesus was talking with was a man guilty of simplification. You see, he knew what God’s Law said about loving your neighbor, so in order to not be guilty of breaking God’s law, he narrowed his definition of neighbor to as narrow as possible. He did this so that he could only be compelled to love a few people and free to hate anyone else.
The problem with this kind of logic is that God does not allow you and I to use our own definitions. God is very particular about definitions. He only allows His own. Weighed against God’s definitions, human opinion counts for absolutely nothing.
Jesus then proceeds to tell a story to answer the question posed to Him, “And who is my neighbor?” Luke 10:30-37
30 Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he encountered robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. 31 And by coincidence a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan who was on a journey came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, 34 and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return, I will repay you.’ 36 Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” 37 And he said, “The one who showed compassion to him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.”
Instead of telling this story, Jesus could have just answered the man’s question by replying, “Everyone is your neighbor.” But Jesus didn’t give a simple answer to a complex question.
He not only wanted to tell the man who his neighbor is, he wanted to illustrate to him who his neighbor is so that he would be forced to draw his own conclusions. Jesus wanted the man to be forced into viewing a Samaritan, a race of people hated by Israel, as a man who practiced what was right. Notice that Jesus never answered the question. At the end of his story, Jesus instead asked the question, 36 Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” The expert in the law then answered his own question.
We can be just as guilty as the law expert. We don’t want everyone to be our neighbor. We want some people to be villains. We like to see ourselves as the good guys and other people as the bad guys. How do we divide people up into “neighbors” and “non-neighbors?” Maybe it’s based on political party, or race, or by organizational affiliation. Maybe it’s based on what state they are from, where they went to school, or what church they are a member of. The reasons go on and on.
Church, hear me out. God does not give us permission to simplify people. He doesn’t allow us to do that because when we do, we take away their humanity. All human beings, even the ones we like least, are image-bearers of God and as such, have been made very complex.
The greatest reason why God will not tolerate the simplification of people is because it hinders the teaching of gospel. We must see as God sees. I’m also not trying to make something that is very hard into something that is easy. It’s a hard thing to love someone who opposes everything that God stands for. It’s hard to think of that person as your neighbor whom you are commanded to love.
No matter how much we believe a person is incapable of change, we must never put limitations upon God’s power to transform lives. We must teach all people about Jesus. When we tell people about Jesus, God takes people that have already been born once, as we all are, and causes them through His power to be born again.
The fairest thing we can do for people is give them the opportunity to choose to either follow or reject Jesus. Fair isn’t easy, but I don’t know of anything worthwhile that is.
Much love!
Wes LeFlore (918) 607-8489 or huskerwes1@gmail.com
