Family Values: a biblical view

By Brian Elroy McKinley

The following is a parable of Jesus as applied to the "family values" debate going on in Colorado and around the nation. It's the same story as in the Bible except modern people and problems have been substituted for the situations of Jesus' time.
In Mark chapter 10, Jesus just finished saying you should love "your neighbor as yourself." At this, a "certain lawyer," wishing to "justify himself," asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
And, starting in verse 30, Jesus said to him, "A certain mother was going down from Colorado Springs to Denver; and she fell among a deadbeat father and the high cost of daycare, and they stripped her and beat her and went off leaving her half dead.
"And by chance a certain leader of Colorado for Family Values was going down on the road, and when he saw her, he passed by on the other side.
"And likewise the leader of Focus on the Family also, when he came to the place -- on his way to get his hair done for a film project -- and saw her, passed by on the other side.
"But a certain gay man, who was on a journey, came upon her, and when he saw her, he felt compassion, and came to her, and bandaged up her wounds, pouring comfort and opportunities on her, and he put her in his own car, and brought her to an inn, and took care of her.
"And on the next day he took out two hundred dollars and gave them to the innkeeper and said, 'Take care of her, and whatever more you spend, when I return, I will repay you.'
"Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the mother who fell into the robber's hands?
"And he said, 'The one who showed mercy toward her.' And Jesus said to him, 'Go and do the same.'"
It's important to note that in the original, it was a Samaritan who stopped to help a man beaten by robbers. What we don't often recall, however, is that Samaritans were the despised, godless half-breeds of Jesus' day. Good God-fearing Jews would rather walk around Samaria than through it. When Jesus used a Samaritan as his hero, he picked what most Jews saw as the enemy of righteousness.
How true these words ring today. Once again the leaders of our great religious organizations are avoiding the needy on their way to make speeches, books, radio programs and laws. And the true good neighbors are the very people our so-called religious leaders despise.

About the Author

Will Perkins Has Lost His Voice

Because of his position on Gays, the Founder of Colorado for Family Values has lost his ability to share his love and concern with those who could use it

Email: el@elroy.com