Us and Them
According to Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, "the Hebrew Bible in one verse commands 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself,' but in no fewer than 36 places commands us to 'love the stranger.'
Why?
Because we have been strangers ourselves. Now Sacks may be pointing to the Jewish diaspora, the historical dispersion of Jews away from the land of Israel. Driven by conquest, persecution, and forced exile, the Jewish people were no strangers to being strangers.
You shall love the stranger first of all because you know what it is to be a stranger yourself. Second of all, you shall love the stranger because the stranger shows you God.
Humans are created in the image of God. (Genesis 1:26-27)
So the stranger you meet in the grocery store, the person who you cut off in traffic, the person who you disagree with politically all have the Imago Dei, the image of God within them.
Read
"just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me."
The point is to see the person standing right in front of you, who has no substitute, who can never be replaced. Encountering another human being is as close to God as we can get on earth.
And what a blessing that is.
Worth Pondering
- When was a time when you received amazing hospitality? What made it so special?
- What are some of the most common “us” vs “them” categories in our communities, culture, and churches? In what ways can we embody the truth that every person reflects the "Imago Dei"?
- Are there ways in which you find safety and comfort in belonging to a group? Being part of an “us”? (This is not necessarily a bad thing!) Does your group define itself against others? Against “them”? What could a more positive definition look like?
- Think about the kind of hospitality you offer loved ones by comparison with strangers? How can you, as an individual and we, as a church become more hospitable to all?
Pray
Lord,
Teach us to love as you have loved us, that this world might be a better neighborhood in which to live and share. Teach us to look at others as if through your eyes, valuing every human as one deemed worthy of a life lived free of exploitation. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.