The Church and Social Justice (Part Two)

This week we are considering the social elements of a church’s biblical mission, yesterday seeing Christ’s own model in this area. Today we continue with:

A Model from the Story of the Good Samaritan
Jesus told the familiar story of the Good Samaritan to a lawyer wanting to know about eternal life (Luke 10:25-36). If Jesus would just list his neighbors, he would go on his way. Instead of a list, Jesus countered with a story:

A Jew was walking along the Jericho road and was attacked by thieves. The beating was so bad that he was left to die. A priest and then a Levite, men of “the cloth,” passed by and did nothing. Then the parable took a dramatic turn. A despised Samaritan came along, saw the man, and showed mercy. The depth of his love was remarkable. He poured on oil and wine and bandaged the wounds. But he did even more. He took the wounded man to an inn for recovery. This was still not the length of his compassion. He told the innkeeper that if the money he left for the man’s care was insufficient, he was ready to give more.

There is a line in this story we sometimes miss. At the close of the parable, Jesus asked the lawyer: “Who do you think was the neighbor?” This was not about a list. It was about an attitude of love. Who was neighborly? Of all people to get the point across, Jesus chose a Samaritan.

Are we concerned about victims today? Robert Lewis wrote that for years their church in Little Rock, Arkansas, struggled with a purpose statement. Their final draft said: “We exist to manifest the reality of Christ to the world by equipping Christians to live lifestyles of spiritual integrity which are . . .

• Passionately committed to Christ
• Biblically measured
• Morally pure
• Family centered
• Evangelistically bold
• Socially responsible

. . . and to equip Christians for influential works of service in our community and the world” (The Church of Irresistible Influence, p. 62). The symbol of their ministry is the bridge. Not a moat surrounding the church to play it safe, but a bridge of incarnational living into the community!

We’ll wrap us this discussion tomorrow…