Rival Gangs - May 20
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 105:1-22; PM Psalm 105:23-45 ; Ezek. 18:1-4,19-32; Heb. 7:18-28; Luke 10:25-37
For a high school graduating gift, my friend, Logan, had some custom yellow sun visors made which read “Midtown Crew: Vinton Factor.” We were kind of like a gang and we called ourselves “the MTC.” There were about ten of us who lived on or around a certain block of Vinton Avenue. In high school, many of us went to different schools and developed new friendships and social groups, but the bond with our neighborhood friends was fierce. Our group had a certain loyalty and for the most part, the friendships are still there over twenty years later. The visors lasted a long time and we all thought they carried a certain weight to them, a pride of an incredible gift of brotherhood, and a sort of rugged social status that we all admired.
But there were other kids in the neighborhood that were not part of the MTC. Sometimes it felt like a fierce rivalry. There were rocks thrown, houses egged, lots of names called, and occasionally, a girlfriend who would migrate from one group to other. For some reason, it seemed like we hated the others. Although looking back over a few decades I have no earthly idea why that disdain existed. It just did.
I think we humans are conditioned to have on the best days, rivals, and on the worse days, enemies. It makes us feel like we have something worth fighting for. It’s the reason sports are so fun. Several years ago, there was a funny ESPN commercial with two college-age kids making out on a couch. One was wearing an Ohio State sweatshirt and the other a Michigan sweatshirt. The narrator then spoke, “Without sports, this wouldn’t be disgusting.” (Imagine Auburn and Alabama for those who ignore the rest of the country).
Today’s Gospel is the very well-known story of the Good Samaritan. This story being so well known has often reduced the Good Samaritan to a person who does something good. But that is not what is implied by the text. A person from Samaria was often seen as the enemy of the Jewish people. On a more generous day, they had as much disgust for each other as a rival gang of teenagers.
We live in a period of intense polarization. Maybe it feels a little less polarizing than an election season, but the pandemic seems to have exacerbated factions and we have groups of people that we distrust, or worse, think are destroying the wellbeing of our common life. I know this sounds extreme, but I think it is a part of the fabric that makes up our society today.
So when the man in the story is helped by the Samaritan, it is not just a person who offers help, but the radical idea that Salvation comes from the enemy (on a bad day), rival (on a good day). As faithful people, it is easy to see our lives as dependent on Christ for Salvation. Yes, I think that is easy. Or at least a lot easier than seeing someone who we distrust, or dislike, or think is destroying our wellbeing as necessary for our Salvation. But Scripture can give us some interesting ways of framing life.
We need each other. You. Me. And everyone in between. Yes, we need Christ for our Salvation, but it begins by needing each other too.
Faithfully,
John+
Questions for Self-Reflection: Who are your rivals in life? How has your relationship to them changed over the course of your life?
Daily Challenge: Think of one group of people who you really don’t like. It can be any group of people and for any reason. Now consider one way of helping that group or supporting that group. Try to do something small.