Is the Bible Still Relevant Today? - Part 3
"There’s another way to survive – mutual trust and help."
This post is adapted from some sections of Chapter 1 in my book, Jesus and Captain Kirk. I will from time to time use a passage from my book as a blog.
The subtitle of today’s blog is a quote from Captain Kirk, but I’ve lost which episode it’s from. I’ve always loved that line. I think it very nicely summarizes what Social Democracy is all about. However, and with no disrespect intended to the creators of Star Trek, if I’d been writing the lines for that show I’d have made a slight change to say it more forcefully:
"There’s a better way to survive – mutual trust and help. In the long run, it’s the only way we will."
Mutual trust. The values of compassion by which we help each other, rather than use our strength to prey on weaker people and nations, isn’t just ‘another way’, it’s the best way, and frankly if we want to survive this nuclear age, it’s the ONLY WAY.
In the words of Jean-Luc Picard, Captain of the Enterprise:
“The acquisition of wealth is no longer the driving force of our lives. We work to better ourselves and the rest of humanity.”
In the fictional world of Star Trek, money is obsolete. Hunger and poverty have been eliminated. Children don’t go without food or education just because they don’t have the cash.
I think the creators of Star Trek were on to something, but Jesus was already talking about this two thousand years ago. He said, “Whatever you wish that others would do for you, do also for them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Mat.7:12). This has been referred to as “The Golden Rule”, and for good reason.
It would certainly solve a lot of the world’s problems in short order if we took this simple command to heart. Taken together with other biblical precepts, such as ‘don’t be greedy’, and ‘be generous to the poor’, we could eliminate much of the poverty and suffering in the world.
Some of the more practical implications are pretty straightforward. For starters, we would consider the welfare and betterment of others in our decision making, rather than enrich ourselves at their expense.
Wealthy corporations and shareholders might be more willing to make a little less (and still be rich), and share more of the profits with their workers, so that they could earn a decent living wage.
We would likely not see corporate executives getting paid, on average, 265 times the average worker.[1] Think about that: the average worker has to labor 265 years just to earn what the typical CEO gets in one year.
In stark contrast to the values of our society, Jesus taught that we should not chase money and possessions; that it was more blessed to give than to receive. He taught against materialism and greed.
Jesus said rich people were going to hell, not because they were rich, but because they ignored the plight of the poor. The prophets warned the rich that God’s judgment was coming upon them because they enriched themselves at the expense of others, and robbed workers of fair wages.
Yet, as Ron Sider says, advertising companies spend billions of dollars every year “to convince us that Jesus was wrong about the abundance of possessions,” and that greed and materialism really is the true path to happiness.[2]
Modern Western culture has enshrined business success at almost any cost and places profits ahead of people. In glaring contrast we find that there is no tolerance in Scripture for bettering ourselves at the expense of others. As the Bible points out, “love does no wrong” (Romans 13:8-10). This is much needed in today’s world torn with greed, racism, strife, and inequality.
Many people today dismiss the Bible as irrelevant, but the problem is with us. It’s our society that is getting it backwards. Could it be that the words of Christ are simply too far ahead of us, and we just aren’t willing to make the necessary structural changes in our society? Future generations may well judge 21st century American attitudes as archaic and irrelevant, not the biblical message.
If the Bible is the word of God, then we could rightly expect it to be superior to our society in many respects. Which means it will run counter to our culture in those areas where our culture has gone wrong. Any God who is worthy of the title is going to pose a cosmic authority problem for any society.
So let’s take a closer look at this cosmic authority problem.
Do We Spend Money to Build More Prisons, or on Education for Lower Income Kids?
In 2020 a 63-year-old man, Fair Wayne Bryant, was released from prison after serving 23 years for the unarmed, non-violent theft of a pair of hedge clippers.[3] Kalief Browder spent 3 years in jail, without trial, after being accused of stealing a backpack by a single witness. He was only 17.
These are not isolated incidents. The justice system in America is sending tens of thousands of people to jail for minor, non-violent offenses.
This excessive punishment has resulted in America having the highest incarceration rate on the planet.
Many states have a ‘3 Strikes’ law that requires mandatory life sentencing, with no chance of parole, for people convicted three times regardless of how minor the crimes may be. This results in people going to jail for the rest of their lives even for minor offenses.
“In an open letter to the Washington State voters, more than 20 current and former prosecutors urged the public to vote against the ‘3 Strikes’ proposal. To explain why they opposed the law's passage, they described the following scenario:
"An 18-year old high school senior pushes a classmate down to steal his Michael Jordan $150 sneakers -- Strike One; he gets out of jail and shoplifts a jacket from the Bon Marche, pushing aside the clerk as he runs out of the store -- Strike Two; he gets out of jail, straightens out, and nine years later gets in a fight in a bar and intentionally hits someone, breaking his nose -- criminal behavior, to be sure, but hardly the crime of the century, yet it is Strike Three. He is sent to prison for the rest of his life."”[4]
“An eye for an eye”[5] is often maligned because it is misunderstood to be an endorsement to seek revenge. But this biblical law was intended to limit punishment to be in proportion to the crime.
It means that if you are guilty, you get to make fair restitution and move on with your life. If you steal a loaf of bread, a backpack or a gardening tool, you return the item or repay its value and it’s over. You don’t get your hand amputated[6] or spend years locked in a cage.
It means that the punishment is not to be in excess of the crime, which must also mean that it does not brand you for the rest of your life. This biblical law allows for a second chance. According to the ACLU:
“Eliminating the possibility of parole ignores the fact that even the most incorrigible offenders can be transformed while in prison. Countless examples are on record of convicts who have reformed themselves through study, good works, religious conversion or other efforts during years spent behind bars. Such people deserve a second chance that "3 Strikes" laws make impossible.”[7]
The biblical principle is that if you are guilty of a crime, you make restitution, and then you get to move on. This ethic of extending forgiveness includes forgetfulness. When something is forgiven, it is forgotten as if it never happened. There is no further punishment. You are not branded for life. It is not something that dogs you forever.
In America, criminals are marked for life. Even after they are released it follows them forever. It is never forgotten. Finding a decent job or a place to live becomes extremely difficult because all applications have that question about prior convictions. They are not being given a second chance. They may no longer be sitting in prison, but they are still being punished for the rest of their lives, even for minor offenses.
The accusation against Kalief Browder turned out to be false. He was completely innocent, but still spent 3 years in jail before authorities figured that out.
But even if Kalief had stolen the backpack – so what? Why jail? Since when is a backpack worth years in jail and destroying a young man’s life over?[8] An eye for an eye… a backpack for a backpack.
In the case of Fair Wayne Bryant, the hedge clippers he stole were worth maybe $25. At minimum wage, that’s about 4 hours of work. A half day of community service at most if he didn’t have the cash to make restitution. Certainly not 23 years.
We can take this even further. This biblical principle is meant to place limits on punishment, but it’s not a command that we have to punish. Listen to what Jesus had to say about it: “You’ve heard it said, ‘an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth’. But I say unto you, do not resist the one who is evil. If someone slaps you on the cheek, turn to him the other also. If anyone sues you for your tunic, let him have your cloak as well…Give to the one who begs of you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow.” (Matthew 5:38-42).
This ethic is reflected throughout the New Testament. In 1 Peter 3:9 we find: “do not trade insult for insult, evil for evil, but on the contrary bless.” In Romans 12:17-21 we read: “Repay no one evil for evil…do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
This may be too progressive even for many in the liberal extremities of the Democratic Party. Turn the other cheek. If someone wants to take your shirt, let him have your coat too.
See that kid trying to take your backpack? Give him some school supplies to go with it, and send him on his way.
Rather than criminalize minor, non-violent offenses, let’s address the underlying structural problems in our society. Instead of building more prisons, spend the money on schools and subsidize lower income kids to get a good education so that they can have a realistic alternative to working for minimum wage for the rest of their lives. Pay for them to become lawyers, architects, engineers and auto mechanics. Or do we just keep building more prisons?
This is where the message of Christ takes us, if we’d pay attention. Why is it we are willing to spend the money to incarcerate people for non-violent offenses, but not on schools to educate them?
The End of Racism and Fear of “the Other”
On June 13, 2020, Patrick Hutchinson was participating for the first time in a peaceful Black Lives Matter march through London, when he came across a white man laying on the road being beaten by an angry mob. He was badly injured, and Mr. Hutchinson could see that his life was in danger. He went over and picked him up and started to carry him away from the mob.
The angry mob followed and continued to hit at the injured man, but with the help of some friends Hutchinson was able to get him safely to the police. One of the most powerful images of 2020 will no doubt be the photograph of that large Black man with the injured White man over his shoulders.
Hutchinson didn’t stop to inquire into the white man’s politics. There was a group of anti-protesters demonstrating against BLM. Was he one of them? Was he a white supremacist? A Republican? A vegan?
It would be difficult to find a more fitting real-life example of the parable of the Good Samaritan, one of the most famous stories ever told by Jesus (Luke 10:25-37).
During a discussion with the crowds about the commandment in Lev. 19:18 to “love your neighbor as yourself”, a lawyer stood up and said, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan in response.
Most of us are no doubt familiar with how it goes. A Jew is beaten and robbed by thieves and left to die on the road. A priest comes by later, sees him, decides that he has better things to do than help the dying man, and passes on by. A Levite also comes by, likewise sees the injured man and continues on his way. Finally, a Samaritan comes by and seeing him, brings him to an inn and takes care of him.
Jesus concluded the story with a question: which of these three was a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers? The lawyer answered: the Samaritan.
Jesus said, “You have answered correctly. Go and do likewise.”
The good Samaritan and the injured Jew were complete strangers. Not only were they strangers, but Samaritans had different religious and political views than Jews.
Samaritans were a racially mixed group of partly Jewish and partly Gentile (non-Jew) ancestry. Jews and Samaritans despised each other and there was a lot of bigotry between them. Tensions often ran high and intense fighting had at times broken out between the two groups in the past.
The Samaritan didn’t inquire into the injured man’s politics, his stand on social issues, or his moral life. The Samaritan simply saw someone in need and helped him. Jesus said, “Go and do likewise.”
By using a Samaritan who comes to the rescue of a Jew, two strangers with different ethnic, racial and religious backgrounds, Jesus is in a very dramatic way telling us that a neighbor is anyone in need, regardless of politics, religion and race.
This is infused throughout the entire New Testament. In Galatians 3:28 we read that “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ.”
On a similar note, Colossians 3:11 states: “Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and in all.”
These passages cover all the major boundaries that humanity typically separates along: “Jew or Greek” – meaning racial differences. “Circumcised or uncircumcised” – religious outlook. “Slave or free” – social class. “Male or female” – gender. We are not to be divisive along these lines. Instead, we are to see them all as neighbors, brothers and sisters.
One of the most vivid passages in the New Testament is the vision of heaven in Revelation 5:9. In this vision we see people from all races, languages and cultures gathered around God in heaven.
Jesus’ story of the Good Samaritan fits in perfectly, of course, with the Golden Rule found in Matthew 7:12 –
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also for them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”
When Jesus says this is the Law and Prophets, what he means is it’s the summation, the entire meaning, of Jewish Scripture (what we call the Old Testament today).
Fascism feeds on and grows in an atmosphere of fear of “the Other”. When aspiring autocrats seek to gain power, they start by sowing fear and discord. They rage against foreign countries and immigrants. They promote fear of foreigners, fear of immigrants, fear of anyone ‘outside’, who represents a different culture or set of values. It was Hitler’s and Mussolini’s basic tactic to stampede people into the fascist camp. Make them afraid and angry over outsiders and foreigners, and those who are different in their midst. Get the people afraid, then they will run into the arms of a ‘strong man’ who will protect and save them.
Trump has used this technique effectively to instill fear, suspicion and paranoia of outsiders to justify his agenda. America is constantly portrayed as the innocent victim of foreign predation. Other countries unfairly take advantage of America, says Trump. That’s why we have trade deficits, high prices, and high unemployment. It’s their fault, not ours. And our high crime rate is the fault of all these foreign immigrants coming into our country. It’s not us or a problem with our own culture, it’s them.
Nothing is America’s fault – unless it’s the other political party. Otherwise, anything can be blamed on foreign countries and immigrants. It's such a well-known fascist tactic, it’s surprising that it can still be so effective.
A Warning to the Evangelical Church in America
Jesus makes another subtle point in his story of the Good Samaritan. Before the Samaritan finds the injured Jew, two other men come across him, a priest and a Levite. Both the priest and the Levite would have been Jews. Priests and Levites were highly respected religious leaders that the Jews gathered around Jesus would have looked up to.
Jesus could have chosen anyone instead of a priest and Levite as the ‘bad guys’ in his story. He might have used characters from the lower class: a farmer, a fisherman or a tradesman. Or better yet, someone from those classes of people that Jews at the time despised: sinners, tax-collectors, Roman oppressors, adulterers. Someone from one of these groups would have been much more appropriate as villains in the story as far as his Jewish audience was concerned.
Instead, Jesus used highly respectable religious leaders from the upper class. It’s hard not to conclude that Jesus’ choice was intentional.
The Old Testament basis for the Good Samaritan story is Leviticus 19:18, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[9]
Interestingly, in another passage, Jesus referred to Lev. 19:18 as only the second greatest commandment, which he said is “like the first” (Matthew 22:37-40). And what’s the first and greatest commandment? “Love God with all your heart” (Deut. 6:5).
Jesus states that the “second is like the first” in Matthew 22. How is that? They go together because even the greatest commandment to love God must fit within the rubric of loving people, because we show our love for God in our love for others:
“If anyone says, ‘I love God’, yet hates his brother, he is a liar, for he who does not love his brother cannot love God. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother” (1 John 4:20-21).
How we treat other people is how we treat God. When we ignore the plight of those in need, we ignore God: “Truly I say to you, what you did not do for the least of these, you did not do for me” (Mat. 25:45).
The priest and the Levite, representatives of a respected Jewish religious class, not only failed to love the injured stranger they left to die – breaking Lev. 19:18 – but by doing that they also failed to love God, breaking the greatest commandment in Jewish religion.
Some might think there could potentially be a conflict between the first commandment to love God, and the second to love our neighbor, as if the greatest commandment to love God could supersede our obligation to assist the needy, providing a loophole that allows them to religiously adhere to a so-called ‘love for God’ that mitigates their obligation to assist the needy.
Like the Levite and the priest in the story of the Good Samaritan, religious people can sometimes be cold, distant and uncaring, yet feel they can rest secure in their religious devotion and church going activities.
The Bible, however, doesn’t leave room for that kind of religion.
The prophet Isaiah warned against the type of religious devotion towards God that was bereft of compassion towards people: “They seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness.” Yet God wasn’t interested in their show of religion because “in the day of your fast (religious rituals) you do as you please and oppress all your workers” (Isaiah 58:2-3).
The prophet called on them to “take away the yoke (of oppression),” to “pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,” then they would be a righteous nation, and the Lord would be with them (Is. 58:9-12).
“This is the fast I choose: loose the bonds of wickedness, undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free and to break every yoke”, “share your bread with the hungry, bring the homeless poor into your house, to cover the naked” (Is. 58:6-7).
In other words, true religion is practised in how we treat “the least of these”, not in religious activity detached from compassion and concern for others. We cannot love God without loving people. “When I was hungry, you fed me. When I was naked, you clothed me. Whatsoever you did for the least of these, you did for me” (Mat. 25:40).
The vast majority of the evangelical church has morphed into the very sort of religion that Isaiah and Jesus warned of:
A religion that is no longer interested in “picking up the cross and following me,” rather it curries the favor of the rich and powerful for political gain.
A religion that is pro-rich and pro-gun, and shows little concern for the things that Jesus was most concerned about.
A religion that is happy with giving to the rich in the form of overly generous tax breaks and bailouts and preferential treatment in Washington and the courts, but is against increasing aid to the poor, against assisting lower income kids to get a good education.
A religion that dismisses welfare programs for the poor as “socialism”.
No wonder its lost credibility in the eyes of those outside, and as a result is losing an entire generation.
“Woe to you, scribes and pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness” (Mat. 23:23).
People who change the world for the better are men and women like Patrick Hutchinson, not those striking blows in the name of “righteousness” – regardless of how justified their views may be.
Conclusion
Many people may be offended by the biblical message. They may argue that it’s naïve and unrealistic, and could never work. But that’s just a cynical reflection of the entrenched values and attitudes within our twisted culture, not a reflection of moral truth.
We need to work towards what should be, rather than justify and defend what is.
Whether or not we believe in the Bible doesn’t change what the biblical view is, which carries an ethic that is superior to our culture reeking with greed, fear and self-centeredness.
[1] https://www.statista.com/statistics/424159/pay-gap-between-ceos-and-average-workers-in-world-by-country/
[2] Sider, Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger, p. 27
[3] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/louisiana-man-fair-wayne-bryant-who-spent-23-years-in-prison-for-stealing-hedge-clippers-granted-parole/
[4] www.aclu.org/other/10-reasons-oppose-3-strikes-youre-out
[5] Lev.24:20; Ex.21:24; Deut.19:21.
[6] Many ancient cultures typically amputated hands, even for something as minor as stealing an apple. We may not cut off limbs – instead we just send them to prison for years.
[7] www.aclu.org/other/10-reasons-oppose-3-strikes-youre-out
[8] Kalief never recovered from the trauma and committed suicide two years after his release.
[9] This is one of the most cited Old Testament passages in the New Testament: Mat. 19:19; 22:39; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27; Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8.