Thought for Today

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the LORD God had made.   

Leviticus 19:19 You shall keep my statutes. You shall not let your animals breed with a different kind; you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed; nor shall you put on a garment made of two different materials.  

Mark 7:26 Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter.  

Acts 10:28 and he said to them, "You yourselves know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or to visit a Gentile; but God has shown me that I should not call anyone profane or unclean.

Even after all of those years in seminary and the years I have served as a minister, I still cannot help but think in terms of engineering and mathematics. This morning, as I watched the television news, I saw footage of a confrontation between ICE and some demonstrators. It is not unusual to see reports of such confrontations currently as our nation comes to grips with an out-of-control immigration system and situation.

The first image which came to my mind as I watched that news report was an algebra equation, Different ≠ Wrong. The idea can also be expressed as Different ≠ Sinful in nature or even Different ≠ Evil.

Confusion concerning the nature of ‘different’ is not new. It is not limited to issues of immigration, nor to issues of gender, race, ethnicity or any other ways we differentiate among groups of individuals. Different merely means different. “1: partly or totally unlike in nature, form, or quality; 2. not the same as; 3. Unusual, special.” (merriam-webster.com)

From the beginning of our Christian faith, the issue of ‘different’ and ‘otherness’ has been an issue. In the Acts of the Apostles, Luke relates much of the struggle for our earliest Christian ancestors-in-the-faith. Peter struggled mightily with this issue. The English word Gentile in that verse above, ἀλλοφύλῳ in the koine Greek, is an adjective meaning “of alien descent, foreign; from a Jewish viewpoint Gentile, heathen, non-Jewish.” (Friberg, Analytical Greek Lexicon) Other New Testament verses where we read the word Gentile in English may read ἐθνικὸς, Ἑλληνίς or ἐθνῶν in the koine Greek. Mark uses Ἑλληνίς, which is related to the word for Greek and which we see in our English adjective Hellenic.

In every instance in scripture, there is a pejorative implication in the way those Greek words are used, a suggestion that Different = Wrong/Evil/Sinful. But, the truth is that different only means different. Sadly, in much of the discourse and thinking about our nation’s immigration crisis, many are using the wrong equation. Of course, many do not think (EVER!) in terms of algebra or even in terms of mathematics. Many are not engineers; many even have trouble remembering what STEM stands for.

Irrespective of one’s attitude toward things mathematical, Christians need to always approach every issue from the perspective of the words of Jesus, "Luke 10:27 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; and your neighbor as yourself."

I reference that verse from Luke’s gospel often in my sermons and in these Thoughts. It may seem to some that I overuse that verse to the point of depreciating its value and impact. But, I believe that is one of the most important verses in the Bible. I also frequently reference “Micah 6:8 He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” These 2 verses are foundational to what it means to be a Christian.

Is it easy to find a Christian path through the tortuous jungle of our nation’s immigration morass? Definitely not! There are good and faithful Christians on both sides of this issue. As Christians, we are called to listen to each other, to consider all aspects of this issue through the lenses of our Christian love for God and for each other. Can we find a simple, one-size-fits-all solution which will satisfy everyone? I do not know. I do know that as Christians we are called to love God, to love each other, to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with God. A good way to start down the path toward a Christian solution is to pray to God.

Stay safe, pray fervently, trust God,

Pastor Ray