Catacomb Resident Blog

The Practice of Neighboring

23 August 2024

Psalm 119 celebrates the revelation of God. It refers to the Word as the ultimate privilege, the freedom to live as God made us. It allows us to walk away from bondage to darkness. When David used the term "the Law" it was a reference to the Ancient Near Eastern conception of law as the expressed character of the sovereign.

That psalm prefigures the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He is the final revelation of our Creator. Jesus Himself taught that the heart of the Law of Moses was to love God in feudal submission and to love our neighbors as ourselves. In that same conversation, Jesus taught that the word "neighbor" means not someone who simply shares our DNA, national heritage or political alignment, but someone who shares our moral commitments. Indeed, Samaria was officially regarded by the Jewish government as an enemy nation.

Jesus was preparing His nation for the New Covenant in His blood. The "nation" that He sought to build was a moral community, a spiritual community. As it was from ancient times, He would give a law that reflected His character. The law of Christ is the love of Christ. It is not something you can do in the power of the flesh. It requires a Divine miracle. It is not a part of you; you are a part of it. It overwhelms your whole being.

It is highly esoteric and mystical, beyond human comprehension. At the same time, it is the most practical thing you could ever encounter. Instead of rational and theoretical, it rests on what God writes in your heart. If His Law does not live in you as the Holy Spirit, then you cannot grasp it. When it does reside in your soul, you would have to fight tooth and nail to avoid it. Sadly, a great many people do just that. We live in a world of church folks who are hostile to the Holy Spirit.

What are we to make of this situation in accordance with His Law? Notice what He says about the Good Samaritan. Though officially an enemy of the nation, he was no threat. The Samaritan walked by the same basic moral principles, and there was plenty of room for calling him "neighbor" because he counted the fallen Jewish man as his neighbor. In practice, there was at least a truce between these two ostensible enemies. Meanwhile, the victim's own countrymen were his practical enemies. They walked by a very perverted understanding of the Law of Moses that David celebrated.

We live in a western world where a there has stood for centuries a very perverted notion of "Christian" nationhood. Human governments vested themselves with the authority to decide who was your neighbor and who wasn't. To this very day, we have millions convinced they are "Christian" and therefore can make certain claims on each other. The definition of "neighbor" has been twisted all out of shape from what Jesus taught. When your fellow "Christians" walk by you in your distress, ignoring their eternal duty to your needs, they are actually your enemies. Meanwhile, when someone with an officially pagan ("non-Christian") identity treats you with care and respect, seeking to heal your injuries, they are your neighbors under the Law of Christ.

We have our community of faith by which we recognize each other as family. That's the foundation of ancient Hebrew culture, despite how the majority of the nation seldom walked in it. Our Radix Fidem community is a very tight-knit family, so who we are is not a matter of being on some list; they are simply the people who stay in contact and communion on our shared faith commitments. Someone claiming to be Christian and entitled to our attention and care must first demonstrate a commitment to at least some of what matters to us.

We can make common cause with outsiders, and even treat them more or less like distant spiritual kinfolks, if they choose to build together with us the long term changes that promote the gospel message. If they simply ignore us, then they are background; they are scenery or maybe useful machinery in our existence. We will offer them due care, same as all creatures of our God and King. If anyone attempts to tear down those long term commitments, they are an enemy, never mind any official designations.

Further, how they are regarded is fluid, depending the context and the changes in their behavior. More so, anyone and anything can become significant or not depending on the move of the Spirit. We are finite beings and simply cannot touch everyone's life the same way; He decides who warrants our attention. We walk by our convictions, His stated priorities, and His personal guidance in the moment.

How we handle enemies depends on what kind of threat they present. An old proverb says: "word for word, sword for sword". Proverbs aren't necessarily literal, but they do indicate moral truth. Each threat is considered by the very practical standard of whether it threatens anything essential. Yes, there is a time and place to endure persecution for faith itself, even to the point of death. Most of the time, we seek the Lord to know how to minimize disruptions of our divine mission and calling.

Jesus healed and forgave; He also cracked a whip. The question is God's priorities living in each of us.


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