Whose Neighbor Am I? (Luke 10:25-37)

[Sermon from Joshua House at Vineyard Columbus, Ohio] [Click HERE to listen to the sermon]

Tonight at Joshua House, we are embarking on a 3-week journey where we will deeply engage with the topic of race. We are calling this journey, “Every Tribe, Language, People, and Nation.”

Race is not easy to talk about. It often brings up feelings of fear, insecurity, and even hostility. So why are we talking about race? Why are we talking about such a sensitive issue, something that will undoubtedly make people feel uncomfortable?

It was only 67 years ago, in 1943, that the term “genocide” entered our vocabulary. Genocide is defined as the “deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group.” We had no word for that until 1943. You may say, “Well, that was still 67 years ago, that was a long time ago! Things are surely different now!”

Well, tell that to someone who’s lived in Rwanda or in Bosnia for the last 20 years where hundreds of thousands of people were systematically annihilated because of their race. You may say, “Well, those crimes were obviously committed by stupid people who were not Christians. Surely, Christians would be different.”

Elie Wiesel is a writer, a professor, and the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize who also happens to be a holocaust survivor. His most famous work is a book called, Night, where he shares his experience in the concentration camps. And in another book, he writes this:

How is one to explain that among the [Nazi] S.S. a large portion were believers who remained faithful to their Christian ties to the end? That there were killers who went to confession between massacres? And that they all came from Christian families and had received a Christian education? How to explain that the Christian in them did not make their arms tremble as they shot at children or their conscience bridle as they shoved naked, beaten victims into the factories of death?

Why are we talking about race? Because we must! Because we can’t afford not to! I am not suggesting by any means that there are outright racists in our midst here tonight who would kill someone because they look different. But what I am suggesting is that it would be utterly foolish of us to think that just because we come to church on Sunday, just because we raise our hands to God in worship, just because we take communion together, that we are immune from the darkness that resides in each and every one of our hearts! The issue of race affects not merely atheists, but even the most faithful Christians. It is an issue that is just as big in the church as it is in the world. The church is as divided along racial lines as the New Black Panthers and the Ku Klux Klan. Why are we talking about race? Because we must!

And in this world marked by these great divisions, God is calling his people, you and me, to usher in his Kingdom by becoming a reconciled community that is breaking down dividing walls between all people groups. The great vision of the gospel is that from every tribe, every language, every people, and every nation, we will become one. It is our passion to see Joshua House be a place where ethnic diversity is championed.

So, I want to exhort each and every one of you to please take these next three weeks seriously. Let me encourage you to pray that God will use us in this room to bring healing and reconciliation. Let me encourage you in all of your small groups to honestly, openly, and respectfully, engage in dialogue around this topic of race. Let me encourage each and every one you to examine your heart, to see what there is, even if it is just a hint, of racism. It has been my prayer for the past few weeks that God will cause us to really wrestle with our hearts, to bring to the surface, for some of us our judgmental attitudes, and for others, our apathy, our complacency, that God would remove the blinders that has been covering our eyes for far too long.

Let me also say that there is grace here tonight. There is mercy here tonight. There is freedom and forgiveness here tonight for each and every one of us. We are all in this together.

So, tonight, as we embark on this great journey, this amazing adventure, I would like to spend just a few minutes asking the question, “Whose Neighbor Am I?” Let’s pray and dive into scripture.

If you have your Bible, please turn with me to Luke 10:25-37. If you don’t have a Bible, you can grab one from either side of the stage. The passage that we are studying tonight is a well known story called, “The Parable of the Good Samaritan.” And I would like to use this story as the backdrop for our discussion about ethnic diversity tonight. So, let’s read together.

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered, “‘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, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” 29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ 36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

“Whose neighbor am I?” To help us answer that question, I would like to ask ourselves three smaller questions about ethnic diversity.

How Should I Think About Ethnic Diversity?
The first question is, “How should I think about ethnic diversity?” We read in Luke 10:25 these words:

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

In the opening scene of this passage, we meet a man who is identified as “expert in the law,” which means that he was probably a rabbi, someone who was deeply familiar with the laws of God. And, here, when we are talking about the law, we are not just talking about the Ten Commandments, but we are talking about over 600 laws and statutes. And it was the job of these “experts” to tell people what these 600 laws meant and how it should be lived out. But if you know anything about these laws, you know that some of them are quite difficult to understand. So, different schools of thought would come out with their own interpretation of the law. And these various interpretations were called, “yoke.” And we are told that this expert in the law, this rabbi stood up to test Jesus. He mockingly calls Jesus, “Teacher,” and asks him this question:

“What must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Before we look at Jesus’ answer to this question, let me pose this same question to all of you here today. I know that not all of you are Christians in this room, but many of you would consider yourself to be a Christian. Let’s say a co-worker or maybe a student in your class comes up to you during lunch time and asks you, “Sarah, I know you go to church and I was wondering if I could ask you a question. I was wondering how I inherit eternal life. How do I get to heaven?” How would you answer that question?

If you grew up in the church like me, you learn from pretty early on in your Sunday school that there is a right answer and a wrong answer to this question. The wrong answer is of course, “I go to heaven by being good.” And the right answer is John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

But apparently Jesus missed that Sunday school class because that is not what he says. Instead, Jesus asks the rabbi, “What does the law say?” To which he responds:

“‘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, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

There is a very troubling word in this sentence here. And that’s the word, “And.” I would encourage you to circle that word in your Bible. Jesus says, if you want to inherit eternal life, you must, “‘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, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

And the surprising thing here for us to note is that Jesus’ answer was not a surprise. The answer that Jesus gave was a common understanding among the Jewish community. This was a no brainer. The Great Commandment is comprised of two verses, one from Leviticus and the other from Deuteronomy. Everyone understood that one inherits eternal life by loving God and loving your neighbor. So the great debate at that time was not about whether one should love their neighbor or not, but rather, on the exact meaning of the word “neighbor.” “Okay, I understand that I need to love my neighbor, but I need to know who exactly my neighbor is so that I can go to that person and show them my love.”

“Who is my neighbor?” That’s a great legalistic question, isn’t it? Only a lawyer would come up with a question like that. “I want to fulfill every requirement for eternal life, so tell me exactly what to do and who to do it to. Who is my neighbor? Is my neighbor my fellow Jew? Is my neighbor someone who is practicing my particular brand of Judaism – a Pharisee, a Sadducee, or a Zealot? Is my neighbor a fellow rabbi? Who is my neighbor?”

What about today? How would you guys answer the question, “Who is my neighbor?”

The word for “neighbor” comes from two old English words, and it literally means, “near-dweller” – someone who lives near you. And I think that is usually the first thought that pops into mind when we hear the word, “neighbor.” But in the Christian circle, I think we generally hold to a broader view of the word. We usually think of people in our church as neighbors. We usually think of people in our denomination, our particular brand of Christianity as neighbors. We usually think of other Christians as neighbors.

But based on the story that Jesus tells, I think we got the whole thing completely wrong! Because according to the story that Jesus tells, the real question is not, “Who is my neighbor?” but, “Whose neighbor am I?” Let me explain what I mean by that.

We can talk all we want about how we as Christians are neighbors to the blacks, the Hispanics, and the Asians in our community, but the true test is, if we were to talk to those same people, will they say that we have been neighbors to them? I can ask myself the question, “Who is my neighbor?” and come up with really great answers. But my answer doesn’t mean anything unless that person can look at you and tell you, “You have been a neighbor to me!” The question we need to be asking ourselves is not, “Who is my neighbor?” but “Whose neighbor am I?”

So, let’s ask ourselves that question right now. Whose neighbor am I? Is it mostly people of my color? Is it mostly people of my social class? What person of a different ethnicity, whether in my school, in my work, in my block, would say that I have been a neighbor to them?

How Should I Feel About Ethnic Diversity?
Let’s move on to our second question: “How should I feel about ethnic diversity?”

If you would indulge me for just a few minutes, I would like to share with you my personal story. I was born in South Korea, and at that time, South Korea was not the prosperous country that it is today. Education was reserved for the wealthy, and jobs were reserved for the educated. So if you were poor, you were screwed. And our family was not in the wealthy camp. So when I was 8, my parents decided that they wanted to give their children better than what they had, and decided to immigrate to the United States, the land flowing with milk and honey, home to the Golden Arches and Mickey Mouse.

So, in 1983, we packed all that we could into about 8 large suitcases, and our family uprooted from all that we knew – our country, our people, our culture – and moved to a foreign land, a land far, far, away, to a strange place called Miami, Florida.

Through the help of the small Korean community that lived in Miami, my parents were able to open a store where they sold everything from bags to radios to sunglasses. My entire childhood involved the retail business, and I think I’ve sold just about everything there is to sell. So my heart goes out to all of you in retail.

And for me, as an 8-year old, the thing that I dreaded the most was starting elementary school because I did not speak any English whatsoever. My two older sisters and my parents at least knew a few words. I knew absolutely nothing. And to make matters even worse, the elementary school that I attended was about 90% Hispanic and I was the only Asian in my entire school. I stood out like a sore thumb. So, right away, starting on my first day in third grade, I was relentlessly made fun of. They would make fun of the fact that I couldn’t speak English or Spanish. They would make fun of the way I looked and the way I dressed, and I got into lots of fights. I was an angry and unhappy child. But by the grace of God, I somehow managed to live through elementary school, made some friends along the way, learned to speak English, and survived being a stranger in a foreign land. But that was only the beginning of my training in race-relations.

Our family moved when I graduated from elementary school, and the junior high school that I attended was about 90% upper-middle class white, and I was one of only 7 Asian students in the school, so again, the students made fun of me because I looked different. But this time, my enemies were not Hispanics, but rich white kids.

And to complete my global ethnic tour, after graduating from junior high school, I enrolled in an advanced magnet program in a high school that was about 90% black, and I was one of only 15 Asian students in the entire school. I stood out like a sore thumb, and again, because I looked different, I found myself on the outside looking in.

Obviously, my parents did not buy into the notion of gradual adjustment. I was plunged into the deep end of the swimming pool, so I learned to swim not because I wanted to, but because I had to.

Most of my life growing up, I was very aware of my Asian-ness, and not in a good way. Like every kid and teenager, I just wanted to belong, but that wasn’t easy when you looked different. No matter how much I didn’t want to think about race, someone would do something or say something that would remind me that my race mattered, and not in a good way.

And things got particularly tough in 1991. Most of you probably don’t remember this, but this was a terrible year for race relations. But the one that personally effected me the most was when a Korean grocery store owner in California got into a scuffle with a 15-year old black girl because she thought she was stealing orange juice. The girl was actually walking away after she put the orange juice back on the counter, when the store owner took out a hand gun and shot the girl in the back of the head killing her.

It was just 13 days before this event when a bystander caught on videotape the violent beating of Rodney King by 4 LAPD officers. Rodney King was black. The officers were white.

In their respective trials, the Korean grocery store owner, while she was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter, her sentence was only 5 years of probation plus a small fine and community service. The LAPD officers were completely acquitted. The judges on both of these cases were white.

Within hours of the jury’s verdict, Los Angeles erupted in riots. When it was over, fifty-four people were killed, over 7,000 people were arrested, and almost a billion dollars worth of property had been destroyed.

While this happened on the other side of the country, my family and the small Korean community in Miami were intimately tied to the story. The tension between the black community and the Korean community in Miami took a radical turn for the worst as each camp began to vilify the other. And for me during that time, I honest feared for my life walking into a school building where I was one of only 15 Asian students going to a school that was 90% black. Those were some intense times to say the least.

And there is another strange thing that happens for immigrants. As you step out and try to become integrated into society, your own people begin to turn on you. I remember being called a “Twinkie” – yellow on the outside, white on the inside. So not only are you made fun of by people who are different than you, you are now also shun by your own people.

I’m sure many of you have stories like that.

Race affects people in deep and powerful ways. It is profoundly personal. That’s why the issue of race must be addressed not merely institutionally, but it must be addressed personally. We must deal with not merely the problem with the system (government, schools, churches, small groups), but we must deal with the problem found in the individual heart.

So tonight, as you think about the issue of ethnic diversity, what is it that you actually feel? Is it fear? Is it apathy? Is it hope? Is it excitement? Is it anger? Is it frustration? Is it love? We need to ask ourselves this question because transformation starts there. The changes we hope to see in our country, in our city, in our church, and in our small groups, begin with our feelings.

This is what Jesus says about the Samaritan in his story in Luke 10:33:

But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.

The Samaritan was moved in his heart for this stranger. Have you been moved in your heart lately for someone who doesn’t look like you?

What Should I Do About Ethnic Diversity?
Our third and final question is this: “What should I do about ethnic diversity? See, you can have great thoughts about a subject matter, and even be moved to tears, but unless what you think and feel actually makes you get off your butt, it means nothing.

Let’s go back to the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

What God is calling us into is not merely integration or even reconciliation for that matter. God is calling us to unity in diversity. We don’t want simply unity without diversity. We want to celebrate each other’s differences. And we also don’t want simply diversity without unity. What God is calling us to, is something far greater. It is unity in diversity – that out of the many, we are one! And this cannot be achieved simply by having great thoughts or even great emotional response. What you and I must learn to do is to be a good neighbor!

Let me quickly share with you four things you can do this week to become a good neighbor. And before I do that, I would like to speak to the minorities in this room tonight.

I think one of the great tensions in talking about race is that, for those of us who are minorities, we don’t want our race to define who we are. We don’t want people to see us as a black lawyer; we want them to see us as a lawyer. We don’t want people to see us as a Hispanic scientist; we want them to see us as a scientist. We don’t want people to see us as an Asian pastor; we want them to see us as a pastor. But here is the thing. If we can’t talk about race we will never grow in this area. It is only as we, the minorities are able to be engaged in a conversation about race, that the majority will have an opportunity to learn. It’s like this. We at Joshua House are passionate about diversity. And we think it is important for people of color to be represented on the stage because we want to diversity of our community to be reflected for people to see. So at times, we will intentionally go out of our way to ask someone who is black or Asian or Hispanic to do announcements or share a testimony. And if you are a minority being asked, you may get offended and say, “You’re probably asking me to do this just because I am Hispanic, aren’t you?” Well, “Yes! Not exclusively, but absolutely yes, that is definitely a big part of it!” Granted, it is not a perfect solution by any means, but we have to start somewhere. So I beg you to please endure the bit of awkwardness for the sake of our community growing in diversity. And if someone asks you a question about your ethnicity, please don’t immediately get defensive or jump to conclusions, because learning and growing starts by asking questions.

So, with that said, let me encourage every one of us to these four action items in this next week. Maybe you can commit to all four, but even if it is just one of these, that would be fantastic.

1. This week, I will be a good neighbor by talking with someone I wouldn’t normally associate with. Whether you are in school or work or taking a walk in your neighborhood, make it a priority this week to simply engage in a light conversation with someone you wouldn’t normally associate with. By this, I don’t mean start talking about the church or even Jesus. If it leads to that, great! But, if it doesn’t, that’s fine. In a humble attitude, start up a conversation. And if opportunity rises, ask questions. Be honest. Tell them that there are things that you just don’t understand, and that you genuinely want to learn and grow.

2. This week, I will be a good neighbor by eating with someone I wouldn’t normally associate with. Sharing a meal is one of the most intimate things you can do with someone. There is something so beautiful that happens when two people sit down to share a meal. It could be ethic food, or it could even be McDonalds. But in the simple act of eating together, you demonstrate that you are a neighbor.

My wife, Angela, is Dutch. So, when I started dating her, my parents were, let’s just say, not very happy about that. But one of the big things that changed wife’s relationship with my family was that she would eat everything that they would put in front of her. And if you know Korean food, there are some things that I wouldn’t even eat. And my wife, being the trooper that she is said, “I’m gonna marry this man even if it kills me!” So she sat there in front of my parents, and I would look over at Angela, and she had this determined look on her face. And I can see the calculation going through her mind, “I love this man! I love this man! He better be worth it! He better be worth it!” Angela she dug in there and she ate absolutely anything and everything they put in front of her. Even now, five years later, my parents are still amazed at how Angela eats Korean food. Their relationship changed because they were able share a meal together. There is something powerful that happens when you share a meal together.

3. This week, I will be a good neighbor by hurting with someone I wouldn’t normally associate with. You know that you are a neighbor to someone when you begin to feel their pain in a personal way; that things that hurts them actually hurts you. This week, can you put yourself in the shoes of someone who looks different and experience the world through their eyes.

4. This week, I will be a good neighbor by praying for someone I wouldn’t normally associate with. This weeks, write down the name of someone you wouldn’t normally associate with, and for a few minutes each day, pray for them, intercede on their behalf.

So, this week, become a good neighbor to someone you wouldn’t normally associate with by talking, eating, hurting, and praying for them! Do all four or just one. But please do something!

This whole discussion began when the expert in the law asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus answered by saying, “‘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, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

By the grace of God, I pray that we at Joshua House would take to heart that simple and profound word, “And.”

By the grace of God, out of every tribe, language, people, and nation, we will become one!