Friday, November 20, 2015

AN EXPERT ON THE BIBLE asked: “Who, really, is my neighbor?”

Jesus gave him this story: “A man was on his way to church with his family in Aleppo when the city was attacked by terrorists. The terrorists bombed the man's house, his church, his neighborhood, and the entire Christian sector of his city, stripping him, his family, and his neighbors of their clothes and all they had. The terrorists beat them all to a bloody pulp and left them half dead with no safe place to hide.

"An American Evangelical Christian happened to see the bombed out city, along with its burning churches and buildings, as he watched on television, but he quickly turned the channel.

"So too, an American senator saw the same events on TV, went and visited the city, but she too decided to avoid the problem by focusing on U.S. domestic legislation rather than foreign policy.

"But then an American presidential candidate, as he campaigned, read reports and saw video footage of the church-going man and his family who was fleeing the burning city and seeking refuge for his family and for his neighbors by begging the United States to let them come into the country for shelter, protection, and help.

"'We need to erect a wall!' the candidate tweeted, 'A very long and tall wall!' And his supporters cheered. And as they cheered louder and louder, they grew in numbers! 'We cannot bandage these people's wounds, feed these people, or give them shelter,' the candidate declared, 'because they will only bring the terrorists with them, along with disease and more mouths to feed! Think of all the extra expense!'

“Which of these three," Jesus asked, "do you think was a neighbor to the man and the city that fell into the hands of terrorists?"

The expert in the Bible thought for a moment, flipped back and forth from one Bible page to another, then replied: “This is NOT the way the story of the Good Samaritan is supposed to go!”

"What you do to the least of these," Jesus said, "you have done to me. This will be my verdict on your day of judgment when I separate the sheep from the goats."

See how the story is supposed to read here: Luke 10:25-37


No comments:

Post a Comment