Galatians 3: 26 - 29
So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
There is power in unity. More than we might really understand and the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy.... our unity. We are called to be the body of Christ, to know God and to be His kids; in a real, living relationship with God, our father, and coheirs with Christ as brothers and sisters. Yet we see divisions in our families and in our churches. I heard a few weeks ago that the 'Uniting' church in South Australia has now divided into 2 sectors based on differing opinions in regards to marrying gay people. And I won't even start to talk about my family....
It is so easy to take offence, to judge, to be hurt by the attitudes and actions of others, and to become defensive. I think I might be particularly sensitive in this area, so I am speaking from personal experience. Forgiveness, although it isn't easy, is a miracle worker in itself - it brings freedom into our own hearts and it acknowledges the place God holds as Lord in our lives, as we trust him to hold true justice for us. I have been told I have a gift of discernment - whatever that means...?? One side of that (I think) means that I do have a high 'justice meter', I am at some level able to work out what is going on in people's lives and I am able to be sensitive to / adjust to the framework in which some people operate. It also means I can be quite critical (at least in my own mind), and I know I often just withdraw from situations, or can be quite quiet.
In fact, I heard somewhere reasonably recently that we simply cannot go through life without expecting to be offended. Life just doesn't work like that. It is not some kind of automatic entitlement that no-one is allowed to offend me, and if they do then they should somehow have to pay for it, whilst I sit in a corner and lick my wounds. I was talking to someone the other day as part of my work, who broke a bone years ago but 'didn't get any physiotherapy' which this person has blamed for her ongoing pain and issues. This person then had further investigative surgery and was back in ED the following day - again blaming the surgery/surgeon for the ongoing issues that have continued to escalate. The blame game and the victim role... As a Physio I am being asked to be the 'rescuer' which is nice in theory (as everyone needs a hero - I sure would like one please!) but I really don't want to feed into this whole scenario of 'look what they've done to you' or become just another health care worker who has failed this person's pain issue. Sometimes a simple act of forgiveness - which might be forgiving oneself or others, can break this pattern. We need to take personal responsibility for our 'stuff'. And as small as steps can be, we really do either choose to step into relationship or away (with God &/or others). There is no neutral ground. No neutral ground at all.
And so it is with the bigger issues of life. George Floyd, was a black man who was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25th this year, when the police officer knelt on his neck for an extended period of time. It has brought the racial tension that exists in the USA to the surface and triggered mass protests that have extended across the world. Black lives do indeed matter. A lot. It is a complex issue as I would imagine that the police officer involved has had previous encounters with black people that have left him somewhat wary and maybe contributed to him being a little defensive &/or aggressive. There is no neutral ground on this one either. Here in Australia, I would like to think that we don't have the systemic racism that exists in the US, but there are huge historical issues with how white people have treated indigenous Australians, and the gap between the indigenous Australians and more recent Settlers here is very, very real too. It is a cultural gap, a health gap, a socioeconomic gap, and a gap that is filled with the pain of children being torn away from families, displacement, drug and alcohol abuse and land being ravaged, mined and sold from underneath the very feet of people who have lived on it and understood it and stewarded it for thousands of years.
Not my circus; Not my monkey. This phrase makes me laugh a little, but in fact this very issue is my circus, as I call myself an Australian Citizen, and my parents/grandparents moved here to live from far away lands. I don't regularly come in contact with indigenous Australians, but I did happen to have a telephone call with someone just the other day. I have developed a bit of a relationship with this gentleman who does in fact have ongoing drug and alcohol issues and an ongoing relationship with the legal system here in Melbourne. He also has some quite serious, ongoing health issues, for which, as a Physio, I really feel quite powerless to do much about. He has revealed to me a little about himself over a few weeks. I have listened. No judgement at all. Encouragement and problem solving, but no rescuing - I have been straight forward with this gentleman that I don't know what else I have to offer him right now. But I am happy to walk with him for a time, and he seems to appreciate my occasional phone calls. To listen to him, and to honour him and his cultural background. He told me where he grew up the the other day. I feel like we have just a little connection. His life does matter.
Luke 10: 25 -37 (The Passion Translation)
Just then a religious scholar stood before Jesus in order to test his doctrines. He posed this question: “Teacher, what requirement must I fulfill if I want to live forever in heaven?”
Jesus replied, “What does Moses teach us? What do you read in the Law?”
The religious scholar answered, “It states, ‘You must love the Lord God with all your heart, all your passion, all your energy, and your every thought. And you must love your neighbor as well as you love yourself.’”
Jesus said, “That is correct. Now go and do exactly that and you will live.”
Wanting to justify himself, he questioned Jesus further, saying, “What do you mean by ‘my neighbor’?”
Jesus replied, “Listen and I will tell you. There was once a Jewish[a] man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho when bandits robbed him along the way. They beat him severely, stripped him naked, and left him half dead.
“Soon, a Jewish priest walking down the same road came upon the wounded man. Seeing him from a distance, the priest crossed to the other side of the road and walked right past him, not turning to help him one bit.
“Later, a religious man, a Levite,[b] came walking down the same road and likewise crossed to the other side to pass by the wounded man without stopping to help him.
“Finally, another man, a Samaritan,[c] came upon the bleeding man and was moved with tender compassion for him. He stooped down and gave him first aid, pouring olive oil on his wounds, disinfecting them with wine, and bandaging them to stop the bleeding. Lifting him up, he placed him on his own donkey and brought him to an inn. Then he took him from his donkey and carried him to a room for the night. The next morning he took his own money from his wallet and gave it to the innkeeper with these words: ‘Take care of him until I come back from my journey. If it costs more than this, I will repay you when I return.’ So, now, tell me, which one of the three men who saw the wounded man proved to be the true neighbor?”
The religious scholar responded, “The one who demonstrated kindness and mercy.”
Jesus said, “You must go and do the same as he.”
Kindness and Mercy. I wish I was good at these things, but I am not sure I always am. Sometimes, like the priest and the Levite in the story, I have things to do and I just want to get through my day and get my job done. When I read this, what struck me was that maybe it was a progressive thing for the Samaritan. Firstly (maybe...) it was an act of courage to approach the Jewish man at all. Then it was an act of pity or sympathy with binding up his wounds. He used what came easily for him with his temperament, knowledge and gifting (like any good Physio does ;)). But then he took it a step further and put this man on his own donkey (maybe there was still a bit of blood on his clothes, or wine or oil...???). The task at hand involved his personal belongings, his personal time and his money. Not to mention having to wash the donkey down well afterwards and the risk of blood borne infection. At least there was no Covid back then... All a huge inconvenience. But Jewish lives matter, even to some Samaritans, apparently. Across that great cultural divide.
The Samaritan gentleman, even though his people were belittled and despised by Jews, went the extra mile to make a connection. And this is the place where we find healing and reconciliation... It doesn't come easily or quickly, but in honouring people that are not like us, we can learn and expand our world view. It can be messy (at least for the donkey) and we become vulnerable to being hurt or offended or taken for granted or even abused in the process, but Jesus said to go there. To forgive 70 times 7 times if we need to. Completely and fully. My heart was warmed to see the footballers of both teams and the umpires all kneeling for a minute's silence before the game last night in recognition of the 'black lives do matter' movement. There was absolutely no implication of racism within or between the teams, but it was really the AFL kneeling in recognition of 'the gap'. A gap we all need to acknowledge and address.
I honestly believe that we meet Jesus in these places (or maybe he just likes to meet us there). And I believe that it is these 'gaps' that we particularly need to mind. To take extra care with, and to pour ourselves into. To seek healing and reconciliation as individuals but also as a people / nation. Apology, service, humility, and reverence before our father..... Jesus is the ultimate good Samaritan. He walked the steps of the Samaritan in the parable during his ministry; A walk of love that led to the cross. The ultimate self-sacrifice that bridged the ultimate gap between us and God.
Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
John 17: 20 - 23
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one - I in them and you in me - so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."
Reconciliation and unity is not something that we can't do in our own strength. The Spirit of God that lives within us (The one that tore the curtain in the temple in two) brings us together. We can only truly come together, as one, in Christ.
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