The Greatest Mystery

I like to read the advice columns in the Washington Post. They usually begin with "I have been with this guy for five years and he [insert terrible behavior here], but I love him..." It is amazing what women put up with. Anyhow, I've always dreamed of having my own advice column. "Dear Sarah, What should I do with my slug of a boyfriend of five years?

"Dump his sorry ass and get some self-respect."

The advice columns are usually printed in the Style section, which also features the fashion columns. I would never have thought that reading about so-and-so's spring collection would be so interesting, but it really is. Try it sometime.

I digress as usual... Erik reads the paper with breakfast. When he is finished he leaves the Style section and any interesting articles or cartoons spread out in the place where I usually have my breakfast. Yesterday morning, the front of the Style section featured an article about the Impassive Bystander. This article highlighted the phenomenon of standing there not doing anything when a person needs help. The story and photos overwhelmed me and my heart was deeply troubled. A woman collapsed in a psychiatric ward and convulsed on the floor. The other people in the waiting room, a security officer and hospital staff did nothing. The woman died. Another man was hit by a car and left for dead in the street. People passed on the street and cars drove around him. Again, no one did anything. This is not by any means new. Jesus talked about this in his most famous parable of the Good Samaritan, in Luke chapter ten.

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. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins 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.’ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

This parable was the answer that Jesus gave after someone asked him which is the greatest law of the prophets. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“What is written in the Law?” [Jesus] replied. “How do you read it?”

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.’"

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

The first commandment is that we be lovers of God. This empowers us to be true lovers of our neighbors. God sees all of us even as we despise Him and are unmerciful to our neighbors and yet He still loves us. How is it even possible?

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 8:38)

This is the greatest mystery of God.