The Same Language

I was teaching in rural Africa about sharing wealth (crops, education, and other resources) among neighbors and I was shocked to find that rivalry between tribes still existed. I believe love doesn’t recognize tribal lines and God certainly doesn’t separate us by ethnicity, so I was left wondering… why would they be skeptical about the idea of letting go of tradition to share food with another family? Why do they compete with each other for ideas and technology? How could they be so consumed with only taking care of themselves?

Then it hit me… Here I am – the typical white American man thinking of scolding this group of West African men for their individualism and selfishness. This is ironic because individualism and self-centeredness are deeply rooted in my culture and my existence, and something I would expect to see in my community… but not in rural Africa.

What I thought was only an American problem might be a human problem. Apparently we have found a way to separate and reject each other in every language and culture.

Won’t You Be my Neighbor?

When Jesus said “love your neighbor as yourself” he was talking about treating unequal people as equals. This was a command to love people who are not like you. We get caught up on the word neighbor, and so did his audience. Someone asked “Who is my neighbor?” and Jesus answered with a story. The story of a Samaritan helping a man in need. This was offensive because he was talking to a Jewish crowd who did not like Samaritan people. (Luke 10:30-37)

He was being asked about the greatest commandment, and he said this is one of the rules that sums up the entire law of God. He was probably quoting from the Jewish Scriptures in Leviticus (19:33,34) where the command is stated like this, “When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself”.

There are plenty of reasons to not love someone: ancestry, tribe, race, politics, nationality or religion. Following Jesus means looking beyond the reasons and seeing a neighbor… an equal.

Raising the Bar

A strange thing happens when we take a position, join a team, make the cut, or are accepted into a group: we immediately and instinctively raise the bar for entrance behind us. If it was easy for us to get in, we make it complicated for others. If there weren’t any expectations, guidelines or procedures in place before we were hired, we create them. If there wasn’t a minimum standard for acceptance before we enter, give any of us enough time and will create one.

This might work great for business or quality control because we want experienced and qualified people working for us. But…

Imagine if we use this method to approach God. No one gets to God by being good enough, or more experienced. A friendship with God cannot be bought, earned, or qualified by a great moral performance.