No Excuses

The Gospels make it clear that followers of Jesus are called to love one another. Love is lifted up as the greatest commandment. Love God and love neighbor. "If you have love for one another," Jesus says, "people will know you are my disciples." When Jesus is asked: "Who is my neighbor?" he answers with a story. When three people encounter a beaten and bloodied man along a road, the one who shows mercy to the man is acting as neighbor. Of course that man turned out to be a Samaritan, a despised and unclean people in the eyes of the religious in Judea. A priest and a Levite had opportunities to help, but passed by the victim. They had many good reasons to not help: among them the fact that touching blood would make them ritually unclean. But this story teaches the lesson that love trumps everything else. No excuses. Jesus teaches that no law or rule can be used as an excuse to refuse to love a neighbor.

The first Christians continued to struggle with this issue in the Book of Acts. Does Christ call us to bring the gospel to just Jews like us or to the whole world? We know the answer. Peter was taught the answer in a most dramatic way. I like the way The Message puts Acts 11:1-3 "The news traveled fast and in no time the leaders and friends back in Jerusalem heard about it - heard that the non-Jewish 'outsiders' were now 'in.' When Peter got back to Jerusalem some of his old associates, concerned about circumcision, called him on the carpet: 'What do you think you're doing rubbing shoulders with that crowd, eating what is prohibited and ruining our good name?'

Like the priest and the Levite in the Parable of the Good Samaritan, the rules that differentiate between clean and unclean are used to separate people as well. Conveniently the priest and Levite could pass by a man in need. Chances are they didn't really want to be bothered anyhow. Likewise for those questioning Peter, kosher laws provide a convenient excuse to stay clear of "that crowd." In Christ there are no excuses. Love God and love neighbor!

Peter recounts a fascinating story to his friends in Jerusalem. God gave him a vision when he was in Joppa. The vision is of a blanket descending from above: a heavenly picnic blanket if you will. On it are all kinds of creatures. Every kind of creature actually: "farm animals, wild animals, reptiles, birds - you name it, it was there (Acts 11:6)." A voice commands: "Kill and eat."

Yes, its a fascinating story... and a little gross. But this is no foretaste of the feast to come. This is a statement: No excuses! Kosher laws cannot be allowed to prevent you from loving your neighbor. "If God says it's okay, it's okay."

Bathed in the light of Christ's love and recipients of his call: the priest is free to get his hands dirty and help the person in need. the Levite obeys the law solely by getting on his knees and showing mercy. And Peter, his friends, and the early followers of Jesus in Jerusalem are to make up a plate for whatever buffet they may step up to if it means people can be reached for Christ. No excuses. If we can't stand "that crowd" or our name is hurt by associating with "that crowd," then that's exactly where we need to be.

The outsiders are now insiders. The laws of Leviticus are not the only systems that have been created to keep people outside the "in crowd." There continue to be outsiders and insiders in the world today: differentiated by race, wealth, nationality, class, sex, age... Know this! The lesson of Acts and the lesson of the Gospels is that Christ will always stand with the outsider. Always! Living as the body of Christ today, we are called to stand there as well. No excuses!