Respectful, loving treatment

As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?" But Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they went to another village (Luke 9:51-56).

Samaritans and Jews did not like each other. In part, it was due to history; in part, it was due to religious differences. The problem started when King Solomon died and two men were both interested in his throne. The nation was soon split in two; one leader took control of the northern and central parts of the country, while another man ruled the people of the south.

Civil war is a terrible thing, but this conflict also created religious problems. All of God’s people were required to offer sacrifices for their sins at the Temple in Jerusalem; but since the southern kingdom claimed Jerusalem as its capitol, the king of the north was unwilling to let his people go there to worship. As a result, the northern king set up alternative places to bring sacrifices to God. In time, the northern kingdom built its own capital city and named it Samaria, and eventually the people of the north became known as Samaritans.

But the Samaritan religion strayed from God’s laws and the Samaritan kings angered God with their evil conduct. After 200 years, God punished the Samaritans by allowing the Assyrians to conquer them. The nation of Assyria was large, powerful and brutal. To keep newly conquered people in line, the Assyrians would uproot thousands of families and relocate them elsewhere; in this way, the people would be too spread out to organize a revolt and would eventually lose their cultural identity. Most of the Samaritans were forced to leave their homes and move hundreds of miles away; their country was repopulated with settlers who came from a variety of cultures and practiced many different religions. Those who had not been deported shared their faith with the newcomers, but foreign influences made the Samaritan religion different from the religion of the Jews who still worshipped in Jerusalem.

By Jesus’ time, Jews and Samaritans barely tolerated each other. So it is no surprise that the Samaritans wanted nothing to do with Jesus once they found out that He was planning to worship in Jerusalem. But look at how the disciples reacted to this snub: When…James and John saw this, they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?" But Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they went to another village.

Why such a reaction? The Samaritans’ religion was polluted with false teachings, but they still knew who God was. They were still waiting for the promised Messiah, the Savior who would free humanity from sin, death and Satan. These were not heathens who prayed to the sun in the sky or sacrificed children to idols in return for a good harvest. These were people whom Jesus was anxious to visit and teach. So why would James and John want to call down God’s wrath on them?

We have a name for this—it is called ‘righteous indignation.’ We are proud to be members of God’s holy family. We have great respect for the terrible sacrifice Jesus made on the cross to free us from our sins. We know that the world would be a much safer and happier place if everyone honored God and followed His commandments. And so it infuriates us when someone treats God disrespectfully. We are disgusted by people who brag about the sins they indulge in. It makes our blood boil to hear jokes that make fun of Christ. We resent being ignored, as if a Christian opinion is not worth listening to.

Righteous indignation results in an angry response. There is a Christian activist on the Internet who sends out emails every week urging boycotts and letter writing campaigns; among others, he has targeted a TV comedian because he makes fun of Christians. There is a Christian journalist who mails out a weekly paper; in that paper, he constantly finds fault with those pastors whose views do not agree with his. When church bodies meet in national convention, there are people who come to the microphone and openly question the integrity of other delegates and church officials who are seated right there in the room with them.

When we believe that someone is treating our religion lightly or is manipulating it for personal gain, we get angry. We lash out with harsh words and threats; if we cannot get our way through brute force, then we are tempted to undercut the other person by making fun of him or questioning his character as a Christian. Any method is acceptable, so long as we assert the truth of our religion and the rightness of our position as a spokesman for Christ.

But there’s a problem. Treating other Christians this way is wrong. In Galatians 5:15 Paul says, If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. There is nothing so hurtful as an attack from another member of your own family. In Christ, we are a family. In Christ, there is supposed to be unity. Harmony among Christians is so important that Jesus had this to say: if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift (Matthew 5:23-24).

We would like to believe that we are always right. The fact of the matter, however, is that each of us is a sinner. Sin clouds our ability to think and renders our conclusions suspect. When we assert something to be true, we must tread carefully lest pride lead us to a humiliating fall. There is only one way we can be sure of the truth—we must study God’s holy and perfect Word. In 2nd Timothy Paul writes, All Scripture is breathed out from God’s mouth and is useful for teaching, identifying error, correcting and training in righteousness.

Yes, there are errors that need to be identified and confronted. The three ecumenical creeds (Apostles', Nicene and Athanasian) were written to unify all Christians in correct beliefs. Paul goes so far as to say, If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned! (Galatians 1:9) Paul was angry—angry that teachers of false religion were putting people of God at risk. Christ is the only way to heaven—Jesus said, no one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6). Any teaching that undermines Jesus as our Savior is dangerous; if we shift our hope for salvation away from Christ, eternity in hell will be the result. Our Lord warned, whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son (John 3:18).

In Romans chapter 16 Paul writes, I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. But notice this: Paul does not call on us to vilify such people—he just says to keep away from them. A Christian has no business resorting to hate speech. James warns us, consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire…It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell (James chapter 3). James goes on to say, no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Jesus is concerned both with what we feel and what we say: You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, `Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment…anyone who says, `You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell (Matthew 5:21-22).

When a fellow Christian is wrong, Scripture tells us how to respond. Brothers, Paul writes in Galatians chapter six, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Paul understood the danger of righteous indignation; he himself had wrestled with pride and arrogance. Until Jesus confronted him in person, Paul thought that it was fine to use violence in confronting false religious teachings. Similar thinking has resulted in the horrors of the Inquisition and the Thirty Years War.

Jesus said, Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division (Luke 12:51). To align with Christ is to invite attack from Satan who will manipulate anyone, even other Christians, in his efforts to tear down the Church. But the Christian response to conflict does not involve violence; Jesus said, if someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also (Matthew 5:39). The Christian does not respond to religious disagreement by tearing down others verbally; James said brothers, do not slander one another (James 4:11). Jesus gives specific instructions on how we are to resolve conflicts among ourselves: If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that `every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector (Matthew 18:15-17).

Jesus is God, and that permits Him to do things that we cannot. The Son of God can look into our hearts and see what we are thinking and feeling; because of this, He is always right when He judges our words and deeds. We don’t have this ability, and so we often misinterpret what other people are trying to say. We often jump to wrong conclusions, and so Luther advised us to “put the best construction on everything.” We must resist Satan’s temptation to always assume the worst about others, because such assumptions are sometimes wrong and they always invite conflict.

The Son of God did something else that we cannot do. He suffered and died in our place, paying the price for our sins. He confronted Satan face to face and walked away the victor. He rose from the dead so that He can answer our prayers and invite us into His eternal home.

Jesus did all this out of love. So we should not be surprised when He tells us to show love to everyone, even those we disagree with. Listen to what He says in Matthew chapter five: You have heard that it was said, `Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

If we are to treat unbelievers with love, how much more our fellow Christians! And so Paul writes in Colossians chapter three, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. To this Peter adds, The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:7-8). Yes, we have an obligation to point out sin and false religious teaching, but we also have an obligation to do so with love, gentleness, and humility.