New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof gave us a story
last week that really troubles me. Recently, in West Texas, a young mom
encountered three desperate Central American migrants one night, by the side of
the road where she was driving.
At least one other car had hurtled by, afraid to stop.
But, this young mom, remembering her own two teenage sons, took pity on the
migrants and invited them into her car to warm up. Only then did she
discover the condition of the third youth ---- the sister of one of the migrant
boys. The girl was suffering from starvation, dehydration and a
potentially fatal kidney condition. The young mom began using her cell
phone to text friends for advice about getting the sick girl some medical
attention.
A short time later, a sheriff's deputy pulled up behind the
young mom's car, lights flashing. A Border Patrol officer arrived shortly
afterward. The officers detained the young mom for three hours,
confiscating her possessions and then keeping her in a holding cell.
By stopping to help some strangers, the young mom may have
saved a life ---- but stopping for these migrants also got her arrested.
Does this story remind you of a parable told by Jesus, but
with a different outcome? That would be the parable "The Good
Samaritan". However, the young mom's story has an entirely different
ending from what Jesus taught us. Perhaps that is why I am confused.
In Jesus' parable it was a man traveling on a lonely road,
who was attacked and badly beaten by robbers. Others saw the injured man
on the ground, but passed by on the other side of the road, until a man of a
different "tribe" ---- a Samaritan, came along.
The Samaritan saw the condition of the wounded man, took
pity on him, bandaged his wounds and took him to a nearby inn for further care,
paying the innkeeper for attending to this wounded stranger.
At this point in the parable, Jesus asks: "Who do you
think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"
His listeners replied: "The one who had mercy on him." Then,
Jesus told them: "Go and do likewise." One might say
further: "Whomever claims to love God, but hates his brother or
sister is a liar."
Do you see why this story troubles me? The young mom
did exactly what Jesus tells us to do for others in need. Did the
three migrants, while perhaps not legally present in the United States,
represent a threat to anyone? On the surface, at least, they did
not.
Now, what if one of the three migrants was not
needing medical attention? If the young mom had stopped nevertheless,
does that justify her arrest? Perhaps, but we are left with a difficult
question. We do try to obey our laws, Federal, State and local, in our
daily lives. But sometimes a law imposed upon us by our government may
present a moral conflict too great for that law to be observed.
What should we do when, for example, Jesus' parable presents us with a clear
moral conflict? One answer might be to change the law, but this takes
time and often inertia defeats the effort. What should we then do?
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These thoughts are brought to you by the CPC Adult
Spiritual Development Team, hoping to encourage some personal spiritual growth
this Spring.
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