I have a confession to make: There are times when I’m actually ashamed to be a Christian. And with the recent comments regarding Syrian refugees that have been coming from so-called Christians–Mike Huckabee, Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, et al.–perhaps it’s time to take a look into the Bible and see exactly what is says on the matter of helping your fellow man.
As you can probably guess, the pretend followers of Jesus are not gonna be the least bit pleased by this, but I hope to potentially shame them into seeing their own hypocrisy. That is if they are even capable of feeling shame for saying they’re one kind of person and then behaving as the opposite.
The Parable of The Good Samaritan
This lesson came directly from Jesus and can be found in Luke 10:25:
A man was traveling and encountered thieves who robbed him and left him wounded. A priest sees this man and passes by on the other side of the street so he will not have to get any closer than he needs to. A Levite does the same.
But the Samaritan bound up the injured man’s wounds and carried him to the nearest inn so he could recuperate. He also told the innkeeper that he will pay whatever else the man owes when he returns.
Did the Good Samaritan know this man? No. Was he obligated to help him? Technically he wasn’t. However, Jesus was making a larger point about caring for your fellow man. He was saying the Samaritan had acted in a Godly and compassionate manner.
Has Mike Huckabee read this parable? Or was he too busy trying to pretend he’s a viable candidate for the White House?
Other Verses
The Good Samaritan is not the only passage of the Bible that instructs us to care for the less fortunate. Consider these:
- Hebrews 13:16 “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”
- Matthew 25:35-40 “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”
- Proverbs 19:17 “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.”
- Philippians 2:4 “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
Is this a complete list? No, not even close. There are hundreds of similar instructions from both the Old and New Testaments.
But perhaps the wisdom we would all do well to emulate can be found in both the Jewish Torah and the Muslim Koran. It is a maxim all of us should never forget:
“He who saves a single life, saves the world entire.”
Featured image by Wikimedia, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license.
h/t Raw Story
