Being Jesus in a diverse world

I have really enjoyed the first half of our month-long class, “Being Jesus in a Diverse World.” It has been interesting to learn more about Judaism and Islam, as well as listening to and interacting with a Rabbi and an Imam.
In my opinion, one of the most important things about our Wednesday night guests has been the ability to associate a person with each faith. One of the main causes of hostility between religious groups is the dehumanization of those of the other faith. When we can get to know individuals who practice a certain faith and get to know them, we often get a different view of their religious tribe.
An expert in the law asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" (Lk 10:29)
Jesus did not answer with a statement; He answered with a story…
“A Jewish man was traveling on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.
“By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.
“Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’
“Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.
The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.”
Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.” (Luke 10:30-37)
Being a neighbor is not determined by what you believe. Being a neighbor is based on your religious preferences. We are all neighbors because we are all human beings created in the image of God.
One of the lessons we hope to learn out of this month’s classes is to have a better appreciation for those of different faiths. This does not mean we are going to embrace their beliefs or water down our faith. In actuality, this is an opportunity to more fully live out what we say we believe.
If we are truly going to love our neighbors as Jesus asks us to, our neighbors must include Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists. If Jews in Jesus’ day were asked to look at Samaritans as neighbors, then Christians today have a long way to go to live out the world Jesus imagined. Jews would have probably looked at Samaritans like many Christians look at Muslims today. I believe that, for many of us, these few weeks are a good step in the right direction of learning what it means to be Jesus in a diverse world.

shine!
Jason