Vince Deagler

i would like to get your opinion on something.  maybe i am a bit off base here, maybe i’m a bit calloused, but it seems to me i am hearing an awful lot of promotion towards what i would describe as “random acts of kindness” as if that is what the bible means when it calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves.  now let me say as clearly as possible, i am not opposed to random acts of kindness.  my problem is with the idea that this is what “love your neighbor as yourself” actually means.  when jesus called us to love our neighbors as ourselves he gave us a vivid picture of what that means.  we call it the story of the good samaritan.  when the samaritan encountered the man beaten and left for dead along the road between jerusalem and jericho he risked his life to help him.  he had pity on him.  he applied medicines and bandaged his wounds.  he put the injured man on his donkey and took him to an inn where he continued to take care of him.  he then took the equivalent of 2 days wages and gave it to the inn keeper to continue the care he had started (the text indicates the samaritan had to leave the next day).  but in communicating with the inn keeper, the samaritan promised to return and reimburse the inn keeper for any additional expense.  jesus closes the story by challenging us to go and do likewise.  or you could go to the early chapters in the book of acts where xtians willingly sold their properties, brought the proceeds to the church, and the various needs within the congregation were met.  they sold their properties…wow.

but what i continually hear is things like, pay the toll for the guy behind you in line.  put a quarter or whatever in an expired parking meter.  buy someone a happy meal.  give the guy on the corner a slurpee or something.  really???  is that what christ meant???  again, i’m not minimizing random acts of kindness.  but i am clearly stating they are not the equivalent of love your neighbor.  love is relational, sacrificial, and requires commitment beyond the moment.  it is the spirit of jesus telling us you cannot be my disciple unless you deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow him.  we may feel good when we bestow a kindness on a fellow adventurer with whom we share life.  and there is nothing wrong with that.  but please, can we stop watering down and minimizing what it means to follow jesus.  a random act of kindness changes a moment, love on the other hand is far more reaching.  there is no guarantee, but it can change a life forever.

i have nothing against slurpee’s, but i’m glad the samaritan didn’t hand out slurpee’s to the guy left for dead.  i for one am striving to live out the reality jesus described when he said…all men will know you are following me when you love one another.  i’m trying.  it’s hard.  it would be much easier to buy you a happy meal.  but that wouldn’t change the world.  just a thought.  i would love to hear what you think.