Considering How You Would Want to Be Treated

We see it all too often: People berating a customer service associate or cashier. Students displaying disrespect to their teachers. Faceless individuals typing insults or mercilessly bullying others on social media. Protesters shouting epithets, sometimes engaging in acts of physical violence.  

TV commentators showing little patience or respect, shouting down each other’s statements and opinions. Athletes spitting on each other. In some cities, looters breaking into stores and carrying out goods of all kinds. Hostile politicians grandstanding to demonstrate opposition to the speaker.

 

The list could go on. Depending on who they happen to agree with, observers either applaud such actions or condemn them. A couple lines from the 1966 Vietnam-era protest song by Buffalo Springfield, “For What It’s Worth,” summarized what we’re still seeing 60 years later:

“There’s battle lines being drawn

Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong…

A thousand people in the street

Singing songs and a-carrying signs

Mostly say hooray for our side….”

 

Sound familiar? Why has our society come to this? What has spawned this age when incivility has become the norm; acrimony is viewed as acceptable, even commendable behavior; and common manners and decorum have been cast into the dumpster?

 

In a time when people across the political spectrum build arguments based on their own interpretations of “the rule of law,” it seems we’ve forgotten – or dismissed – a far greater rule. It’s what we commonly know as “the Golden Rule”: “In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12, Luke 6:31).

 

Jesus Christ addressed this in a variety of ways. Matthew 22:36-40 records an occasion when the Pharisees, religious leaders who prided themselves on external rules-keeping, asked, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Perhaps they presumed He would select a particular favorite from the Ten Commandments.

 

His response wasn’t what they expected. “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

 

The first is foundational for everything, but let’s focus on the second. Jesus’ words, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” were another way of saying, ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,’ as the King James Version translates it. The phrase is repeated elsewhere in the New Testament, including Romans 13:8-9, Galatians 5:14 and James 2:8. 

 

Unfortunately, the prevailing mindset these days seems very different, more like, “do to others before they can do it to you.” Do whatever you feel like doing; worry about the consequences later.

 

What does it actually mean to “do to others as you would have them do to you”? Maybe the best way to answer that is to look at the last part and ask, “How do you want others to treat you?”

 

Would you want people to politely hear and respect your opinions, even if they don’t agree with them? Whether in your home, at work or another setting, would you want someone to genuinely listen to what you had to say? If you were a teacher and had spent hours preparing the lesson for the day, would you want your students to be attentive and desiring to learn? 

 

Looking at it another way, if you were a sales associate in a department store, would you want someone angrily accosting you about some grievance, even if you had nothing to do with it? If you were a law enforcement officer, would you want folks throwing objects at you simply because you’d been assigned to that area to maintain order? If you owned a retail business, would you want people breaking windows and stealing everything within reach?

 

This brings to mind the adage attributed to native Americans about walking a mile in the moccasins of another individual. Doing to others as we would have them do to us involves putting ourselves in their place, trying to understand their needs and feelings, and responding appropriately.

 

Jesus’ parable about the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37) illustrates this perfectly. A man, a Jew, had been robbed and beaten, left for dead. Two upright religious leaders, a priest and a Levite, saw the man but moved to the other side of the road, acting as if they hadn’t noticed them. Obviously, they never considered what if they had suffered the same plight.

 

Then a Samaritan came along and even though Jews and Samaritans weren’t exactly bosom buddies in those days, he attended to the wounded man, took him to an inn nearby and promised to pay all expenses for his care. Whether he knew the commandment or not, the Samaritan literally did for another what he would have wanted someone to do for himself.

 

Years ago, people wore WWJD bracelets representing the question, “What would Jesus do?” Maybe we need to start wearing bracelets that read, DUOAYWHTDUY – “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” It could help to usher in a new season of civility and compassion.

How Much Progress Have We Really Made?

Yesterday we observed Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It deservedly recognized one of the most influential African-American leaders in history. But as with many other men and women who have left profound impacts on our society, remembering Dr. King shouldn’t be a one time a year occasion. The legacies of those who have contributed mightily to our nation should never be forgotten.

 

Dr. King was certainly an advocate for justice, but also strongly endorsed non-violence, following the lead of people like India’s Mohandas Gandhi. Considering what’s transpiring in our society these days, it would be interesting to know what his take would be. Would he think that we’ve progressed – or regressed – in terms of interracial relations?

 

Many of Dr. King’s profound statements were recorded for posterity. Often, they reflect faith in God and a belief in peaceful resolution of conflicts. Here is just a sampling that I have found especially inspirational and appropriate for our times. I’m adding a comment or two:

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” This is taken from his well-known, “I Have a Dream” speech. How are we doing on this? I fear we’re still dwelling too much on people’s skin tones rather than the content of their character – from all sides of the political spectrum.

“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” There are factions in our society that apparently have no interest in seeing us living together as brothers and sisters, regardless of color or ethnicity.

“The time is always ripe to do right.” Who can argue with this? Sadly, in a time when too many people question or deny the existence of objective truth, we’re losing the ability to even agree upon what’s right.

“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. That is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.” Unconditional love – selfless, sacrificial love, as it’s defined by the Greek word “agape” – is a quality that’s central to the Scriptures but has largely been forsaken by our “what’s in it for me” culture.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” This wasn’t original with Dr. King. The apostle John wrote, “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him” (1 John 2:9-11).

 

Racism and prejudice toward people different from us are hardly new human developments. During His earthly ministry, Jesus Christ used at least two occasions to teach the wrongs of ethnic and racial discrimination and prejudice. 

 

One was when He met a woman in Samaria as she was going to a well to draw water, recorded in the 4^th chapter of the gospel of John. In those days, Jews and Samaritans, who were of a mixed race, had a mutual hatred. On top of that, cultural mores discouraged casual interactions between men with women they didn’t know. So, when Jesus addressed the woman at the well, asking, “Will you give Me a drink?” she nearly dropped the buckets she had lugged from her town of Sychar.

 

In today’s terms, Jesus was acting in stark contrast to the racism and misogynism of His day. Her reply was typical: “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” Jesus didn’t offer any excuses or explanation. He responded simply: “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water” (John 4:7-10).

 

Much more could be said about this encounter. It’s been the focus of countless sermons. But one certain takeaway was that Jesus had no use for hatred or prejudice toward any human being. He wasn’t afraid of shattering cultural norms.

 

Another time was a story Jesus told, found in Luke 10:30-37. We commonly know it as the parable of the good Samaritan. He used it to provide a definitive answer to the question, “Who is my neighbor?” Since most of us understand little about the animosity Jews had toward Samaritans, it’s easy to overlook what it tells us about racism and discrimination. But for Jesus’ hearers, the message was clear. 

 

It concerned a Jew traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho who was beaten and robbed, left for dead. Two religious leaders traveling the same road saw the man but rather than stopping to help, moved to the other side of the road and passed by. Next a Samaritan came across the man, stopped and bandaged his wounds, then took him to an inn nearby where he could recover. The Samaritan even promised to cover in full whatever expenses the injured man incurred.

 

Such a story of kindness and sacrificial love was unheard of in Jesus’ day, but it communicates what He expects of us as we interact with people who are different from us. As God told the prophet Samuel, “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

 

Such “sight” is possible only through the power of God. It’s not something we can conjure up through sentiment or good intentions. In the coming days, may He enable us to act more like what Dr. King described, not judging based on the color of people’s skin but rather, according to the content of their character.

 

Doing Right in an Age of Demanding Rights

These days, perhaps more than ever before, we hear talk about “my rights.” During my lifetime there have been important movements to secure rights of many kinds. And today, protests and debates continue, sometimes civil and sometimes not. But amid all these demands for rights, the simple act of “doing right” isn’t greeted with the same degree of enthusiasm. And that’s unfortunate.

 

Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr.: "The time is always 
right to do what is
right."
(Wikipedia photo)

It was the great civil rights leader, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who said, “The time is always right to do what is right.” To state it in a slightly different way, there’s no wrong time to do the right thing.

Years ago, there was much discussion about “situation ethics,” especially in the business world. What’s that? One dictionary defines it as, “the doctrine of flexibility in the application of moral laws according to circumstances.” Another definition is “taking into account only the particular context of an act when evaluating it ethically, rather than judging it only according to absolute moral standards.” Does this have a familiar ring?

 

Even though we might not use the term as much, situation ethics seems to reign in the minds of many people. Doing what Dr. King advised is problematic, because who’s to say what’s right – especially when taking “context” or circumstances into account?

 

This is hardly a new phenomenon. At the end of the Old Testament book of Judges we find this sad assessment: “In those days there was no king in Israel; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes” (Judges 21:25).

 

I wonder what would happen if the vast majority of people shifted their focus from, “I want my rights!” to “Am I doing what’s right?”

 

At his Presidential inauguration in 1953, Dwight Eisenhower preceded his inaugural remarks by uttering a very personal but public prayer. It included these words: “Give us, we pray, the power to discern clearly right from wrong, and allow all our words and actions to be governed thereby….” Of course, this was in the days before notions of “separation of church and state” were enforced. Are we allowed today to petition God for “the power to discern clearly right from wrong”?

 

For some, that seems a very old-fashioned concept, but I think Dr. King was absolutely correct: The time is always right to do what is right.

 

In business, the circumstances may indicate that shading or even twisting the truth might be expedient or advantageous. But is it the right thing to do?

 

While walking through a convenience store, it might seem easy to snatch a pack of gum or a candy bar and leave without paying for it. But even if you’re not caught, is it the right thing to do?

 

If while driving, you receive an alert that a text you’ve been waiting for has arrived, should you read and respond to it – as long as you’re trying to be careful as you steer the car? Or should you ignore your phone until you find an appropriate place to stop? What’s the right thing to do?

 

We could consider hundreds of similar situations, many of them even more serious than those cited above. In another Old Testament book, Deuteronomy, Moses was addressing the Israelites, knowing his time on earth was coming to an end as they were anticipating finally entering the Promised Land. He said:

“See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse – the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today…” (Deuteronomy 11:26-28).

 

A bit later Moses said, “You are not to do as we do here today, everyone as he sees fit” (Deuteronomy 12:8). Apparently, the Israelites had become deeply immersed in their own brand of situation ethics, leading them away from the God who had delivered them out of bondage in Egypt.

 

We find one of the best examples of doing the right thing, even when it meant denying one’s personal rights, in Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37. In the story, a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho was attacked by robbers and left “half dead.” Two men – a Jewish priest and a Levite – were going down the road later that day and had the opportunity to go to the man’s aid. Instead, each man moved to the other side of the road and acted as if he hadn’t seen him.

 

Finally, a Samaritan – whose people were despised by the Jews – happened by and “took pity on him.” The Samaritan could have reasoned, “Why should I help a Jew? They hate me. Besides, I’ve got places to go and things to do!” However, he chose to do the right thing – bandaging the injured man’s wounds, pouring oil and wine on them to ease his pain, and then taking him to a nearby inn where he could recover. Not only that, but the Samaritan also promised to cover the man’s expenses in full.

 

As He concluded this parable, Jesus asked “the expert in the law” who had prompted the story, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” In other words, which of the men passing by chose to do what was right?

Yes, we all have rights. The U.S. Constitution’s Bill of Rights defines many of them. But in our troubled, increasingly self-centered world, might it not be a good thing to redirect our concerns toward doing things that are right? 

What Better Standard for Treating One Another?

Several years ago, a friend recommended reading The Founders’ Bible: The Origin of the Dream of Freedom, compiled by historian David Barton and general editors Brad Cummings and Lance Wubbels. Along with the complete Bible in the New American Standard version, it contains hundreds of articles and extensive commentary about what our Founding Fathers thought about Christianity, the Bible, and their role in the shaping of our nation.

 

My family bought me a copy of The Founders’ Bible as a birthday present a couple years back, and I’m finally starting the enjoyable and enlightening process of reading through it. One commentary I came across recently concerned the “Golden Rule,” which Jesus Christ presented in Matthew 7:12, “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

This Bible’s contributors cited statements from several leaders that figured prominently in our nation’s history who affirmed that principle. One was John Adams, our second President and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, who said, “One great advantage of the Christian religion is that it brings the great principle [of the Golden Rule]…to the knowledge, belief, and veneration of the whole people.” 

 

Another was Frederick Douglas, a minister, statesman and abolitionist, who declared, “I love the religion of our blessed Savior!... I love that religion that is based upon the glorious principle of love to God and love to man (Luke 10:27) – which makes its followers do unto others as they themselves would be done by (Matthew 7:12).”

 

The commentary closed with the statement, “Today, two thousand years after Jesus initially delivered it to His followers, the Golden Rule remains the best standard for how we should treat one another.” Indeed, where – whether in vast realms of religion, philosophy, sociology or psychology – can we find a better standard for treating one another?

 

At the same time, this concept was not some brainstorm Jesus had 2,000 years ago during His earthly ministry. When asked – actually challenged – by a religious leader to specify which was the greatest of all commandments, He responded by referring to Old Testament teachings. 

 

He said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:36, Luke 10:27). These were taken from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18, passages the Pharisees and others in the religious hierarchy of that day would have known very well.

 

While similar perspectives might appear in other belief systems, Christianity is unique in making these statements foundational for faithful belief and practice. Exodus 20:1-17 gives us the Ten Commandments, but in a wonderful economy of words, Jesus gave a clear and concise summation of them, the first four commandments addressing our relationship with God, and the subsequent six describing how we should interact with one another.

 

It's been said that in the seats of power, such as politics or business, there’s a very different “golden rule” espoused: “He who has the gold, rules.” But that’s not at all what the Lord had in mind when He gave this teaching to both His disciples and His detractors.

 

We find this truth permeating the Scriptures. We’re taught to fear God – holding Him in reverent, worshipful awe, acknowledging His greatness and power – and to love our “neighbors,” anyone we encounter over the course of our lives from day to day, even to the point of sacrificing our best interests so we can put others’ needs and concerns ahead of ourselves.

 

That’s what Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan is all about, even though as our society has drifted further and further from having the Word of God as its anchor, many people would be hard-pressed to identify where the term “good Samaritan” originated.

 

Imagine if by some miracle, people actually began treating other people the way that they themselves would want to be treated; that they actually started loving their fellow man and woman just as they’d like to be loved themselves, unconditionally and without reservation.

Indeed, if that were to be the case, we could probably strike half of the laws off the books – maybe more than that – and no one would ever know the difference.  

What the Bible – and Jesus – Say About Prejudice

As I write this, I feel incredibly sad. After months of relentless reporting about COVID-19, the news took a startling turn. And not a good one.

 

Videos surfaced of an African-American man, George Floyd, who died as a result of excessive force exerted by a white police officer while several other officers stood by without any attempt to intervene. They did not have their hands physically on Mr. Floyd, but the videos show no attempt to help as he pleaded, “I can’t breathe!”

 

For any person to die in this way is beyond excuse, unjustifiable. If there’s any way it could be even more tragic, it’s that Mr. Floyd, according to multiple reports, had extricated himself from a troubled past and was actively striving to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

 

So many words have already been said and written about this – reasonable and inflammatory. But perhaps it might help to consider what the Scriptures and Jesus have to say about racism and prejudice.

 

In the Old Testament, we see that God very specifically wanted the people of Israel – His “chosen people” – to remain separate from other peoples. The Lord’s purpose was not to discriminate, but to ensure those He had chosen remained faithful to Him as the one true God, and not be influenced to worship false deities of other nations or stray from the laws He had established.

 

Discussion of ethnicity in the New Testament takes on a very different perspective. It’s often overlooked when we read and discuss the stories, but the parable of the Good Samaritan and the account of Jesus’ encounter with the woman at a well in Samaria both have racial or ethnic elements to them. The Samaritans were a people group despised by the Jews; interaction with them was a social taboo. So Jesus’ very intentional association with and reference to Samaritans was radical for His day.

 

Most of us are familiar with the story about the Good Samaritan. In this parable, a man on the way from Jerusalem to Jericho is beaten by robbers and left for dead. A Jewish priest traveling the same road, and then a Levite, pass the man by without stopping to offer aid, but a Samaritan does stop to help by attending to the man’s wounds and then finding an inn where he can stay while he recovers.

 

When I read this account and try to apply it to the present day, I envision a known racist as the victim. A clergyman and then a politician pass by, ignoring the injured individual’s plight. But then an African-American comes by, takes pity on the person, calls for emergency assistance and then finds a place for him to receive care until he is well again. Can you see the irony – and the extreme example of mercy demonstrated by the black man?  

 

We also have the account of Jesus’ meeting with a woman of disrepute going to a well to draw water at midday, when she could avoid the accusatory glances of other women. “Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar…. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well…. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, ‘Will you give me a drink?’… The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?’ (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans)” (John 4:4-42).

 

Jesus proceeded to shift the conversation to “living water,” how this women with a painful past could experience new life through Him, the promised Messiah. When she excitedly ran back to her town to tell about this incredible stranger, many went to see Him and also became believers.

 

Again, Jesus’ actions were radical, unprecedented for those times. He broke every cultural guideline of the day, but paid no heed to the woman’s ethnicity, nor her immoral background. He perceived her only a person deserving of unconditional love and compassion, someone who needed some truly Good News to break into her broken existence.

 

We find that after Jesus’ ascension to heaven, His followers continued the example He had shown of disregarding cultural barriers. In Acts 8:25 it says, “When they had testified and proclaimed the word of the Lord, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.” The Samaritans hadn’t suddenly been welcomed into the Jewish family, yet the disciples knew they needed to hear the truth of Jesus Christ as much as anyone. 

 

Lastly, I think of what the Paul the apostle wrote, saying that in God’s sight, there is no distinction of race, gender, class or ethnicity: “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).

 

Some progress has been made in the realm of race relations in recent decades. But much more remains to be made. I firmly believe the ultimate answer is not in the writing and enactment of more laws, or the establishment of more regulations, but in the changing of hearts. And that is only possible through the transforming life and power of Jesus Christ.

 

I’m thankful for my African-American friends. We enjoy each other’s company, and I believe we have learned from one another. More than anything, we share a bond in Christ that transcends any differences of color or culture. I pray – in the most literal sense – that through Him, the walls of hate, prejudice, distrust and suspicion can finally be torn down.

Digging to Uncover the Real Root Causes

Whenever someone attempts to present simplistic solutions to incredibly complex problems, the best justification is naivete. The worst is absolute stupidity. But it seems when considering the conundrums confronting our society – and the world – some causes and solutions aren’t even being given factored into the equation. 

Whether it’s gun violence, or poverty, or racism, I’m of the conviction that at the root of all is our determination to disregard the truths and principles God provided for us in the Bible, His inspired Word. Sorry for sounding like a simpleton, but in my view, it all boils down to a matter of choice: Doing things God’s way – or doing them the wrong way. 

I rarely venture into the realm of politics in my posts (at least directly), but sometimes solutions are not so much political as they are spiritual. Let me offer some examples:

Children being raised in poverty is a legitimate problem. But studies have shown the vast majority of children in poverty are being raised in single-parent homes, most headed by females. Single moms do incredible work, and deserve great admiration and respect. But they’re attempting to do a job no single person was ever intended to do.

From the start, God designed life – and family – to be a team undertaking.“…The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.… Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man…. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife” (Genesis 2:18-24)

Elsewhere, in a broader context, the Bible speaks of the value of partnership: “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work. If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has not one to help him up!” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).

Our society over the past five decades has increasingly promoted the idea of single parenthood, often including the notion that men (fathers) are unnecessary in the family scenario. I fully understand that many times single moms are not that by choice. But doesn’t it make sense that having two adults working together, rather than one struggling alone, is preferable, whether for spending time with their children, handling household responsibilities, paying bills, or making difficult decisions?

Violence – with guns or otherwise. No question, violence is a perplexing and fearful problem in our society. When it comes to gun violence, our tendency is to place the blame primarily on access to weapons. But with well over 40,000 people dying annually in motor vehicle accidents, do we blame the cars and trucks? 

In the 1960s, the U.S. Supreme Court saw fit to redefine “separation of church and state,” interpreting it as the twain shall not meet between things civic and things of faith. As a result, the Bible, prayer and all references to such as the Ten Commandments have been removed from most public schools. It happens that one of those commandments is “thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13) – literally, you shall not murder. As I was growing up, I and my fellow classmates had no fear of someone coming into our school armed to create mayhem and death. But we also were reminded daily of commandments such as thou shalt not kill, or steal, or lie. Knowing those things were wrong became a no-brainer.

At the same time, our culture has dramatically ratcheted up the violence quotient of theatrical films, TV programming, computer and video games, even comic books. Billions of dollars are spent each year to produce advertising and commercials to encourage consumers to buy products ranging from groceries to restaurant food to cars to skin cream. Yet some argue to the contrary that violent programming has no effect on the human psyche. That’s ludicrous.

Racism also is a problem that has plagued not only the United States but also people throughout the world. Yet the passage of laws hasn’t succeeded in eradicating it. Changing hearts regarding prejudice and bigotry is as much a spiritual matter as a legal one. 

In the gospels, Jesus dealt with racism. The parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) must have horrified many of His hearers and caused quite the scandal. The hero of the story – a Samaritan who was the only one to offer mercy and compassion on a battered traveler – was a member of a race despised by the people of Israel, especially its high and mighty religious leaders. How dare Jesus use him as an example of what it means to “love your neighbor”?

Similarly, when Jesus encountered the “woman at the well” (John 4:1-42), conversing openly with her, He was addressing both racism and sexism. The culture of the time dictated that men would not openly acknowledge women in public who were not members of their family. Not only that, but the woman was a Samaritan; even worse, she was a woman of ill repute. Yet Jesus treated her with dignity, sensitivity and understanding.

I’ve experienced in my own life how God has opened doors for building strong, caring relationships with people different from me, whether in ethnicity, background or beliefs. However, it was not my doing – it was His work in and through my life. Laws could not have forced me to do that.

So as our esteemed public officials posture and pontificate about these and other pressing concerns, I’m convinced that until we accept that the root causes are as much spiritual as they are social and political, they will not go away. They will only intensify until we recognize that unwilling to do things God’s way, knowingly or not, we’re insisting on doing them the wrong way.

Overcoming Racism and Prejudice

When Hurricane Harvey struck Houston and the Texas Gulf Coast,
racial and ethnic differences were cast aside, 
as this Getty Images news photo shows.

Borrowing from Charles Dickens’ classic novel, we’ve been presented “a tale of two cities”: Charlottesville, Va. and Houston, Texas.

Following the death of a young woman and injuries to dozens, Charlottesville became vivid evidence that racism in the U.S.A. is far from dead. For days afterward, it’s about all we heard – protestations of racial hatred and bigotry, including accusations that President Trump didn’t choose the right words in denouncing the horror of the day in which protesters clashed in violence.

Then came Hurricane Harvey and its relentless assault on the Texas Gulf Coast. We saw incredible devastation; for once, the term “catastrophic” was not hyperbole. But what we didn’t see was…racism and bigotry. We saw men, women and children of all ethnicities and colors, responders heroically assisting desperate Houstonians. Average citizens without emergency training banding together, oblivious to differences, literally joining hands to rescue victims, plucking them out of rising, life-threatening waters.

Comparing the two cities and the events that thrust them into the national headlines, if we want a true barometer of the state of racism in America today, we needed only to look at Houston and the other storm-ravaged coastal cities. Ethnic backgrounds, skin pigmentation, cultures, and even language differences suddenly became irrelevant. There was no hatred or bigotry, only compassion and kindness. Some called it a triumph of the human spirit.

This is not to deny that racism and prejudice still exist. We regularly see and hear manifestations of it. Bigotry is heinous, without excuse. But sadly, we can’t legislate hate. Racism may defy reason, but soapbox rhetoric won’t eradicate it. As ancient as time itself, they exhibit no signs of old age. Sadly, these evil human flaws still flourish.

Are there no solutions? I believe there are, but only by appealing to – and seeing the transformation of – the human heart. Painting the outside of a garbage can may make it appear shiny and new, but it's to no effect if the refuse and decay on the inside aren’t addressed. Similarly, racism must be cured from the inside out.

Among the Bible’s honest, unvarnished descriptions of the best and worst of humanity are numerous accounts we’d label today as racism or bigotry. We see the Egyptians’ fearful response to the Israelites as they multiply in numbers, as well as Jonah’s hatred of the Ninevites. But nowhere is the issue of prejudice more clearly addressed than through the eyes of Jesus.

In His day, the people of Samaria were despised, viewed by the Jews as inferior half-breeds. Yet one of Jesus’ best-known parables is that of the “good Samaritan,” a humble man who came to the rescue of a traveler who’d been robbed and brutally assaulted. In the Luke 10:30-37 account, Jesus said a priest and a religious leader both intentionally avoided the suffering individual. A Samaritan, however, “took pity on him.” He not only dressed the victim’s wounds, but also paid for him to stay at an inn to recover.

Were Jesus telling this story today, He might have chosen to describe the victim as a white supremacist and the rescuer as an African-American. In this context, we can grasp the irony.

Later in the same gospel, we find Jesus ministering to 10 lepers, social pariahs for no other reason than being afflicted with a horrid disease. It states He healed all of them, but only one “threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him – and he was a Samaritan” (Luke 17:16). Double irony.

Then John 4:4-42 tells of His encounter with a woman at a well outside a town in Samaria. She too was an outcast, having had five husbands and presently living with a man she wasn’t married to. Again, in the context of the times, speaking to such a woman, much less one that was a Samaritan, was considered scandalous. But Jesus showed her great compassion and invited her to partake of the “living water” only He could give.

Years ago, I began meeting weekly with a young African-American man, Rhon, who had just committed his life to Jesus Christ. One day he looked me in the eyes and asked, “Bob, if Jesus were standing here today and saw me, would he see a black man?” I pointed him to Galatians 3:28, which declares, “There is neither Jew, nor Greek, slave nor free, male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

This I believe is without doubt God’s perspective. How, then, are we to gain this view as well?

More recently I’ve enjoyed getting to know two other black men I meet with frequently. Growing up in suburban New Jersey, I never really knew any African-Americans, although the term wasn’t used back then. In high school there were some black students, but again in those days blacks and Caucasians didn’t mix much except in extracurricular activities like athletics. So much for the myth of the non-racist North, right?

So being able spend time with Clarence and John has been a blessing for me. I’m not so certain “racism” and “prejudice” mean the same thing, because we can be prejudiced toward many types of people simply because we don’t know them and, in some respects, they’re not like us. Meeting with my two friends has helped me to recognize that apart from skin pigmentation, and ethnic culture to a degree, we’re very much alike.

Sometimes it takes a crisis, like a hurricane or a 9/11, to bring people together and help them to look past superficialities. But often all it takes is intentionality, resolving to really get to know others who aren’t just like us, so we can soon realize that in reality, we’re not all that different.

As the apostle Paul wrote, differences mean nothing for those who “are all one in Christ Jesus.”