Often times it
appears we live in a world of transient justice and social concern. This means
rallying around an issue while it is a current crisis in the news until a newer
issue comes along to garner one’s attention. People are prone to migrate from
one crisis to another. After all, there are plenty of crises to consider around
the world. Often this migration diminishes compassion for a former
concern. An illustration of this could
be observed in Germany. This nation has been recognized as a leader in making
donations in the refugee crisis in Europe. Between September and December 2015
the people of Germany gave 15.7 million euros in donations for refugees
worldwide according to Aktion Deutschland, a relief agency that provides
disaster relief in an alliance with 24 aid organizations. In comparison in the
first three quarters of 2016, only 1.6 million euros were raised by aid
organizations, even though the number of refugees worldwide was growing. In
addition to the refugee crisis other people and issues have filled the news:
hurricane victims, human trafficking, starving children, and earthquake
victims. They in turn compete for the attention of the people donating to
refugee causes. One sees this competition for donations in Germany in 2015,
when 117 million euros were donated for refugees throughout the world, while
116 million euros were raised for earthquake victims in Nepal.
Perhaps one needs to replace transient
justice with transforming justice and social concern. This would involve
looking at people not as causes in which to be involved but seeing people as
individuals in need of genuine compassion and personal involvement. Such
compassion is motivated not solely by the crisis at hand that requires
intervention, but goes the extra mile by staying involved in alleviating the
injustice one sees.
There is an example of this kind of
transforming compassion found in a well-known parable told by Jesus in Luke
10:25-37. The story reveals a man who is attacked, robbed, and left for dead.
Along the road three men pass by individually. Two are religious leaders who
see the crisis the man is in and individually determine not to become involved.
The men who made this decision were aware of God’s Word that should guide their
life, but determined other issues were more important than this man who was in
crisis. Their religious law required, as another religious leader affirmed to
whom Jesus told this parable, that they were to “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 love your neighbor as yourself” (10:27). Somehow they concluded
such a requirement was not binding upon them at this moment and passed by on
the other side intentionally distancing themselves from the man near death.
The third individual comes upon the same
man in crisis. This man would have been regarded by the two previous religious
leaders as irreligious because he was a Samaritan. He followed what Jews
considered a non-approved religious system centered in Gerizim not Jerusalem.
This man got involved in the man’s messy crisis. He was engaged emotionally and
“was moved with compassion” (33). His compassion for the man near death moved
him to become involved physically and financially. He gave of his time to bandage
him up even in the face of surrounding danger. He invested his resources from
his own supplies – wine and oil (34). He gave up his comfort by placing the man
on his only mode of transportation – a donkey. Finally, he made a commitment to
be engaged in the long haul by making provision so the man’s needs would be
cared for completely (35). He did not disengage after making a donation, he
made a longer term commitment to the man who had been in crisis and faced
injustice. He engaged in transforming involvement not transient justice.
Jesus asked a simple question, “Which of
these three was a neighbor to this man?” (36). The man who listened to this
parable answered correctly, “The one who had mercy on him [who was robbed and
abused]” (37). Jesus replied, “Go and do likewise.” He challenged the man to
display transforming justice marked by compassionate merciful actions. The
Apostle John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, wrote, “This is how we know what
love is: Jesus laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives
for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a
brother or sister in need and has no pity on them, how can the love of God be
in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with
actions and truth” (1 John 3:16-18).
Often we see signs posted in lawns with a
message written in three languages which says, “No matter where you are from,
we’re glad you’re our neighbor.” I have nothing against the sign in the yard or
its message, unless it is not backed up with actions of mercy to the one we say
is our neighbor. We need more than posters planted in our yard. We need people
embedded in our hearts so that we respond to them with acts of mercy and grace.
People with hearts like this are in the business of transforming justice.
Way to go Samaritan! You turned compassion into transforming action that impacted the life of another. Our world is in great need of people like him.
