Repost: This post was originally posted on Facebook on January 30, 2017.
The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God. Leviticus 19:34
Christians, let us be honest about refugees. And by Christians, I don’t mean people who just use the Bible when it suits their political agendas. I mean the people who have devoted their lives to the historical Jesus Christ.
Pay attention.
Jesus would have taken in the refugees. Jesus would have received them with open arms, independent of their race, nationality, gender, or social status. Absolutely.
Jesus would have given His life for them. In fact, He has. When Jesus said, “Greater love hath no man than this: to lay his life down for his friends.”
Further yet, “Love God with all your heart, soul and mind and your neighbor as yourself.”
Jesus, without a hint a doubt or hesitance called and still calls us to lay down our lives for our friends, to love our neighbors no matter who they may be or what they believe, and also to pray for our enemies and those who persecute us in the good faith that His love will triumph over their hate.
So in reality, from a Godly and biblical perspective, if you hold the Bible as the very words of God, we ought to love and protect all men and women from oppressors when the chance is given. Hospitality should be our highest esteem and merit so that the world may look to Christians everywhere and say, “Even though we disagree in every fundamental thing, that Christian has treated me like royalty and family.”
Christ died on the cross for us and that revelation ought to transform us.
And that truth cost Him His life. Jesus, though loving was no spineless or chest-less man. He bench-pressed time and existence into being and set a new eternal bench-press record for all the cosmos.
He would state, with love that others were wrong within their erroneous presumptions. While doing such, He showed them love and fed them not just physical for for their much need nourishment but also spiritual food, revitalizing their souls.
So if it comes to pass that refugees fleeing war-torn nations beg to reside next to you, work with you, attend the same events as you, love them. Befriend and pray for them. Discuss life, love, conflict, sadness, reality and listen to what they may say in return. Be ready also, at all times to give a response as to what you believe and how it can and will remedy the world of its fundamental crisis of the heart.
Jesus would have us, through the Great Commission to go into all the world and preach the good news of His redemptive work through the cross and His resurrection. If we will not leave our fox holes to cross into enemy lines where imminent danger is everywhere, He will send the enemy, whether in the physical or ideological stance, into our communities, events, schools, etc. He will use every method and avenue available so that perhaps one of the millions may be saved.
So in regards to the refugees, let them come in. If our faith is weak, it will perish. But if our faith in Him is strong, as it ought to be, we will not only lead the world in the forms of love and hospitality towards those in need, but we will also lead countless neighbors from around the world to a relationship with Christ Jesus, their everlasting Creator.
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. – Proverbs 31:8 NLT
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“James Hal Cone, like me, remains part of the Christian tradition, in all of our audacity, in all of our humility. Why? Because we are still convinced that Jesus of Nazareth has something to do with that courage to be and the courage to love and the courage to fight for justice in the midst of such intolerable and overwhelming circumstances and conditions.” – Dr. Cornel West, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Professor of Philosophy and Christian Practice at Union Theological Seminary and holds the title of Professor Emeritus at Princeton University.
These thoughts were originally posted to Facebook years ago as I reflected on the passage of the Good Samaritan from the Gospel of St. Luke.
Why Compassion Matters
How oft we forget the care Christ showed to those destitute and cast aside by society. How oft we forget the story of a Good Samaritan; an outcast in his time, who cared for a man half dead when no one else would. The Samaritan, too, was a neighbor to the Jews. As Christians, we tend to fall prey to the ideological fallacies of politics and nationalism; as hatred and even racism festers in our hearts towards our neighbors. Be those neighbors Christians, atheists, Muslims, straight, gay or etc. add it to the list. Jesus calls wrong for what it is. But none was as friendly and caring toward the outcast as He was and is and he calls us to do the same. How are you distancing yourself from your fellow neighbor? Can you love them as you love God?
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
Just then an expert in the law stood up to test Him, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“What is written in the law?” He asked him. “How do you read it?”
He answered:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.
“You’ve answered correctly,” He told him. “Do this and you will live.”
But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus took up the question and said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him up, and fled, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down that road. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. In the same way, a Levite, when he arrived at the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan on his journey came up to him, and when he saw the man, he had compassion. He went over to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on olive oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him. When I come back I’ll reimburse you for whatever extra you spend.’
“Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?”
“The one who showed mercy to him,” he said.
Then Jesus told him, “Go and do the same.”
Who Is My Neighbor?
Jesus makes it clear that no matter who our neighbor is or whatever their background may be our duty as faithful servants of the Most High is to love God with all our being and love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves.
So then, who is your neighbor today?
Is it a Republican? A Democrat?
Is it Joe Biden and Kamala Harris? Is it Donald Trump and Mike Pence?
A white man? A black woman?
A heterosexual? A transgender?
A racist? A terrorist?
An atheist? A muslim?
An evangelical? A fundamentalist?
Whatever someones affiliation, orientation, observation or predilection, especially in a pluralistic culture, it mustn’t change our conduct nor our disposition to emulate and reflect the compassionate heart of Christ to all.
Our heart should reflect that of our Lord in showing love, compassion, forgiveness, silence in moments where silence is required, tears where required, food for the hungry, open hearts for the hopeless, a shelter for the homeless, open arms to the sojourner, and yes, forgiveness for the sinner.
Go and do the same.
Our salve should produce healing because we were healed and are still going through the process of being restored and sanctified for God’s glory, day by day.
Go and do the same.
Our words need to flow out of a place of redemption, our language needs to reflect the words of Christ, and our conduct, His, so that when people see us they see not the man or the woman but the Christ who guides us. We must be but hands and feet whereas our heart and our mind belong to the Savior.
Go and do the same.
Find the broken-hearted, the suicidal, the depressed, the anxious, the fearful, the hopeless and confused souls who have come to an end of themselves and offer the hands and feet of Christ without asking for a dollar in return.
As Jesus instructed and lived, go and do the same.
What do you do when you’ve blown it? When you’ve done the one thing you never thought you would do? Said those hurtful words you never thought you could?
Your cover is blown and now everyone knows who you really are. What do you do? Where do you go? Where do you hide?
An unknown author once said, “When you lose your control someone else ends up finding it.”
And how true. Most of us struggle with the consequences of our choices but what’s even harder to deal with is the shame and guilt that proceeds our mistakes in life.
Where do we bottle these things up? Why do we bottle our shame up in ourselves?
Dr. Diane Landberg states that when we hold on to the shame of something we have done or something someone has done to us we alter the way we behave. We grasp on to it as if our lives depend on it because we’re too afraid of this secret, this pattern, of this behavior and the shame of it all coming to light. Because of this suppression of shame we begin to exhibit four extremely harmful habits.
We withdraw from people we love
We avoid people we love
We attack our selves (physically, psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually)
We attack others
SHAME
But why? Why are we so afraid of exposing our inner self to someone else? What is at stake? What would we lose?
For some, we are so gripped by the burden of shame, guilt, and our sins that were we to bring these things to light we would lose the respect and affection of our spouse. For others, they would lose their work and income. Others yet, would lose their standing and status within their community. Their neighbors would no longer look at them the same way. Their friends would avoid contacting them. Their future projects, jobs, construction bids, and possible ventures would all be looked at with suspicion because of the reality of what was once hidden in our heart is now exposed for all the world to see and shame consumes our lives because of it.
There’s too much at stake. None of us would dare suggest anyone deal with this kind of torment. None of us would want to endure this kind of social and communal separation for our sinful actions.
But too many of us do. And it shows.
As Dr. Landberg states, we withdraw from social gatherings to live in isolation so that no one sees us for who we are. We avoid anyone who would find out the truth about that dark and tenebrous secret of ours. We create habits that become compulsive, thus becoming prisoners in our own minds. We eventually begin to harm those we love by refusing them affection, attention, care, appreciation, and more because we are too afraid of revealing the truth of who we are deep down inside.
Thus friendships are ripped apart, marriages dissolve for irreconcilable differences, and we are, in the end, alone. More alone than before. More depressed and dejected than ever imaginable.
We look into the mirror but we cannot recognize the person we see for that person may smile or laugh or react to sunlight but it is all so elastic. So unreal.
It is because we do not believe anyone is able to handle our hurt, our shame, our guilt, and our sin.
But I’m here to remind you, reader, as is the custom of reminding myself, that there is One who is not only capable of dealing with the truth so insidiously entangled inside of you, He welcomes it. In fact, He makes a promise that anyone who brings their heart to him, no matter how broken, how battered, how darkened, how cancerous and vile, no matter how diabolical or previously possessed and ensnared by the most nefarious evil imaginable, He will in no way put you to shame.
He will in no way cast out.
In John Bunyan’s novel Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ, John depicts an argument between a sinner and Christ. The sinner, once confronted with the willingness in Christ to forgive any and all sins once presented, shies away from this possibility because his sins are too many, too great, and too horrible to share.
Join us, in this conversation between the sinner and the Christ. (Emphasis is mine):
But I am a great sinner, say you.
“I will in no wise cast out,” says Christ.
But I am an old sinner, say you.
“I will in no wise cast out,” says Christ.
But I am a hard-hearted sinner, say you.
“I will in no wise cast out,” says Christ.
But I am a backsliding sinner, say you.
“I will in no wise cast out,” says Christ.
But I have served Satan all my days, say you.
“I will in no wise cast out,” says Christ.
But I have sinned against light, say you.
“I will in no wise cast out,” says Christ.
But I have sinned against mercy, say you.
“I will in no wise cast out,” says Christ.
But I have no good thing to bring with me, say you.
“I will in no wise cast out,” says Christ.
The Compassionate Christ
This passage, where Jesus promises to forgive, restore, and redeem the sinner, no matter how grievous to God and man his sins may be is found in John 6:37:
“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to meI will in no wise cast out.” King James Version
How precious, really, and comforting, really, the words of Jesus is to us, sinners.
“I will in no wise cast out,” has been translated for us modern readers this way:
“I will never cast out.” English Standard Bible
“I will never refuse anyone who comes to me.” J.B. Phillips New Testament
“I will certainly not cast out.” New American Standard Bible
“I will never reject them.” New Living Translation
“I will never drive away.” New Revised Standard Version
And to our hipster readers, it says, “Dude, come to me, I’ll never send you away, man. Never.” This is more or less my personal interpretation of this verse.
But to return to the topic of Christ’s compassion towards sinners, and if I may, I would also like display a modernized version of Bunyan’s conversation between a sinner today and this marvelous Christ.
But I am addicted to alcohol, say you.
“I will in no wise cast out,” says Jesus.
But I am a chronic adulterer, say you.
“I will in no wise cast out,” says Jesus.
But I am addicted to pornography, say you.
“I will in no wise cast out,” says Jesus.
But I am a slave to sex work, say you.
“I will in no wise cast out,” says Jesus.
But I seek money more than I seek you, say you.
“I will in no wise cast out,” says Jesus.
But I hate my brother and my sister, say you.
“I will in no wise cast out,” says Jesus.
But I have vile thoughts about other men, say you.
“I will in no wise cast out,” says Jesus.
But I have salacious thoughts about other women, say you.
“I will in no wise cast out,” says Jesus.
But I have perverse thoughts about little children, say you.
“I will in no wise cast out,” says Jesus.
But all I want is to pull the pin on this grenade and kill myself, say you.
“I will in no wise cast out,” says Jesus.
But I slit my wrist and dull the pain of life, say you.
“I will in no wise cast out,” says Jesus.
But I want nothing more than to hate you, say you.
“I will in no wise cast out,” says Jesus.
But I hate you, say you.
“I will in no wise cast out,” says Jesus.
But I hate you!!! Say you.
“I will in no wise cast out,” says Jesus.
Christ did not come to this world to die only for sins we deem socially acceptable, He died also for the sins we can all agree are morally reprehensible and too wicked to talk about openly.
Christ died for the violent offender as much as he came to die for the defrauder. Christ did not bleed on the cross only for the sins of the boy scout who steals dollars and dimes from his grandparent’s cupboard but also for the pedophile who intends on molesting children or already has. Christ forgives the Nazi soldiers, the white supremacist who just walked away from lynching a person of color, he forgives the ISIS member who just annhiliated a group of innocent men, women, and children.
Is this too hard to believe? Is it too difficult to accept?
Christ forgives the sins so dastardly, so vile, so unmentionably cruel because He alonne is able to enter into these diabolical spheres of human evil and come out unstained and unchanged.
He can.
He has.
Christ does not shy away from such an encounter. He does not shy away from our sins. He confronts them. He destroys them.
Olivet Theory
When he rose from the grave He proved that He alone was worthy of such an endeavor.
We do not have the strength, the tenure, nature, the power, the know-how, the effort, the endurance, magnificence, the humility nor the will to confront sin in its lightest or darkest form but Christ does.
He not only confronts the sin inside us. He’s not afraid and he does not turn away.
Christ has a love so grand, so selfless, so otherworldly that He will walk toward darkness for us instead of away from it.
He looks right into the base of evil when many of us look away. He treads on the power of shame and guilt and sin to reach us and he does not hesitate to do so.
For if we extend our hand to someone who has slipped and fallen in the mud and help them out there is a high chance that our clean hands, shirt, pants, and shoes will be sullied by this event.
If we reach our hands out to someone infected with the bubonic plague, the coronavirus, or ebola, the chances of us getting infected is very high and the possibility of us dying is also there.
Christ does not shy away from such an encounter. He does not shy away from our sins. He confronts them. He destroys them.
For there were lepers he was not afraid of touching. People considered unclean he considered one of his. People were thrown off as prostitutes, unworthy of touching and Christ let them touch him and bless him. People who were the lowliest of these, the littlest, the nobodies, the bastards, the unwanted, the slumdogs, the untouchables… it was these Christ came to, he befriend, he touched, he forgave, and he restored.
For it is precious, really, to know that Jesus can do what we cannot. Not only can He take on the sins of the world, but he also looked forward to it. The death he died for all was efficacious enough to forgive sins of the past, present, and future.
Past, Present, and Future.
That’s why He is not afraid of the darkest sin we are at times too afraid or too ashamed to admit. In fact, he welcomes us into His embrace. He reminds us,
“I will in no wise cast out,” says Jesus.
We think of a film like Cast Away, with Tom Hanks, where a man survives a plane crash and is shipwrecked, or rather, plane-wrecked on a deserted island in the middle of the pacific ocean. He is so far from civilization, so far from land, so far from home and family that he is cast away from their memories and their lives. They believe he is dead.
In fact, in the real world, in their world, he was.
But Christ does not abandon the sinner no matter the distance.
This Christ can reach the most remote island on the planet for you.
This Christ can enter the world’s most violent prison for you.
This Christ can surf the darkest website page on the planet and redeem you from there.
There is no limit to the love Jesus has for you so there is no sin too great, too deep, too grand, too high, or too low, that Christ cannot or will not forgive.
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? […] No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:35, 37-39
“I will in no wise cast out,” says Jesus.
So many of us have been abandoned and put to shame by parents, loved ones, siblings, friends, acquaintances, neighbors, schools, academies, institutions, social media, and more. So many of us are living with the pain of being rejected by everyone we love.
The devil who feeds off of our sin and shame. He gloats and celebrates every time we are reminded of our shameful mistakes.
But enough is enough.
You’ve been withdrawing from life long enough.
You’ve been avoiding the reality of your sins long enough.
You’ve been harming yourself long enough.
You’ve caused too much pain to those you love long enough.
But rest assured, Jesus reminds us, and reminds you, reader:
“I will in no wise cast out,” says Jesus.
In fact, we are reminded by apostle Paul in the book of Romans that:
“Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” – Romans 10:11
“Will not be put to shame.”
How comforting to know that though the world abandons us Jesus never will.
We must simply come to his feet and lay our burdens there. We must completely empty ourselves of our sins, our guilt, and our shame before this Glorious Redeemer who loves us so dearly and is so willing to take upon Himself our woes.
Why wait? Why linger? Why despair when there is hope?
Remember:
“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” 1 John 1:5-10
And so,
“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” – 1 John 2:1-2
My friend, dear reader, come to Christ and lay before him your heart, bare and vulnerable, for he will not shun, he will not wince, he will not be ashamed of you. He will forgive you and heal you. He will redeem you from your choices and transform your life. He wants nothing more than to save you from cancer that has anchored itself in your soul. A cancer so nefarious that left untreated it spreads, and spreads, and spreads until it consumes you and when it is done it begins to work in your family and later, in your posterity.
Only Christ can remove it from your life without harming your soul. Don’t fret. Approach him today, for he reminds us:
“I will in no wise cast out,” says Jesus.
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30
THE CROSS: The Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan
“Now I saw in my dream, that the highway up which CHRISTIAN was to go was fenced on either side with a wall; and that wall was called ‘Salvation’.
Up this way, therefore, did burdened CHRISTIAN run; but not without great difficulty, because of the load on his back.
He ran thus till he came at a place somewhat ascending; and upon that place stood a Cross, and a little below, in the bottom, a sepulchre. So I saw in my dream, that just as CHRISTIAN came up to the cross, his burden loosed from off his shoulders, and fell from off his back, and began to tumble; and so continued to do till it came to the mouth of the sepulchre, where it fell in, and I saw it no more.
Then was CHRISTIAN glad and lightsome, and said, with a merry heart,
‘He hath given me rest by his sorrow,
And life by his death.’
Then he stood still awhile to look and wonder; for it was very surprising to him, that the sight of the cross should thus ease him of his burden. He looked therefore, and looked again, even till the springs that were in his head sent the waters down his cheeks.
Now, as he stood looking and weeping, behold three shining ones came to him, and saluted him with, “Peace be to thee!” so the first said to him, “Thy sins be forgiven thee”;
the second stripped him of his rags, and clothed him with change of raiment;
the third also set a mark in his forehead, and gave him a roll with a seal upon it,
which he bade him look on as he ran, and that he should give it in at the Celestial Gate: so they went their way. Then CHRISTIAN gave three leaps for joy, and went on singing:
‘Thus far did I come laden with my sin,
Nor could aught ease the grief that I was in,
Till I came hither. What a place is this!
Must here be the beginning of my bliss!
Must here the burden fall from off my back!
Must here the strings that bound it to me crack!
Blest cross! blest sepulchre! blest rather be
The Man that there was put to shame for me!’”
But I am riddled with shame, will you cast me away? Says you.
Olivet Theory 