In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, Joel Osteen has become the poster-child for what is wrong with the Christian faith. Whether the scorn is deserved or not need not be debated here. What matters (or should matter) to any of us, who profess to be followers of Christ, is whether he is merely a scapegoat for our own misguided example.
I don’t have the wealth or prestige of Mr. Osteen, but that does not give me excuse to point along with others without questioning my own actions and intentions. Rather, it has given me pause. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. (I am not picking up any rocks.)
The tide of scorn toward Joel Osteen and professing Christians should refer us to the parable of the so-called “Good Samaritan”. Even the non-churchgoer is familiar with the story—where a man, whose identity appears irrelevant, is robbed, beaten, and left for dead. A priest and a Levite see the man, yet pass by (“on the other side”, which seems to reveal a sarcastic/humorous side to Jesus, as the road was too narrow to have an “other side”). It is the Samaritan, one who would be bitterly hated by the lawyer—an expert of Jewish law—to whom the parable is being told, who stops and helps the man. This is who is identified as the “neighbor” (as in “love your neighbor”!). This is who we, as professing Christians—i.e., followers of Christ, are called to love: our neighbors, the ones we hate and despise.
Now, the parable of the good Samaritan has been watered down over the years of Sunday school. We are taught that we are to help people who are in trouble. Easy, right? Easy until the person who is in trouble starts to look differently than you or me.
Maybe this is why the priest and the Levite passed by—the victim was not of their kind. Maybe the Samaritan helped because the victim was another Samaritan. It doesn’t matter, because the whole point of the parable is that we are to love our neighbor and “our neighbor” includes even the one we most hate (think of the kinds of people you find to be utterly despicable).
Before I question anyone’s motives, I must first make sure that my motives are right. We are not, after all, responsible for anyone other than ourselves. I am sure I have yet to ace the test.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!
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