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via emailuntouchables! (luke 17:11-19)
September 21st, 2009in Jesus’ day, it was kinda easy to figure out who the folks were that you stayed away from (the untouchables). samaritans– absolutely (they were half breeds with the wrong theology). gentiles– you betcha (that gang had nothing to do with God’s covenant, and the covenant people had nothing to do with them). also, you had to stay away from the physically “unclean” (like those suffering skin diseases like leprosy).
then Jesus shows up, and starts knocking down some of these barriers. his story of the “good samaritan” is a classic (luke 10). his healing of non-jews was shocking (luke 7). and this week’s message about the healing of the lepers combines both racial and health barriers. the “untouchables” didn’t seem to be that “untouchable” to our Lord.
which leads to the big question this week– who are the modern untouchables? we don’t have lepers hanging out by the city gates, and there aren’t any “samaritans” around. but let’s get honest for a moment: we don’t need to come out and say someone is “untouchable” to have folks feeling like they are “untouchables”. all we need to do is operate in a way that makes them feel totally unwelcomed. what do i mean? how about a couple examples: when we assume that all God’s real children agree on political issues, and if you aren’t in the right party you probably aren’t right with God; or when our disdain for all things homosexual stands out it in sharp contrast to our muted voice when it comes to other sexual sins (like porn or sex outside of marriage). we don’t have a list that says these people are “untouchable”, but they often feel that way after interacting with us.
So who are the evangelical world’s “untouchables”? And what is our responsibility to reach out and touch these folks with the love of Christ?
KenL said:
I’ll have a better answer later, but just an anecdote for the moment …
I read a post by a blogger once who was indignant about the clothes that people wear to church. One Sunday morning a young woman was there wearing an outfit — “She looked like she’d just stepped out of a nightclub!” The woman even went to far as to tell the young woman off for her outfit and let her know that it wasn’t appropriate.
My comment on that was, “What if she did? What if that Sunday morning she woke up beside some guy she didn’t know with a headache, thinking that she needed some help to get her life in order? She walked into your church, and you had an opportunity to help … so you told her off for wearing the wrong dress. I’m not sure that’s exactly what Jesus would have wanted you to do.” When I looked back later, my comment hadn’t made it past the moderation queue. I suspect that it never did.
terrysharbaugh said:
ya know, i bet this kind of story is repeated often in churches. on one hand, if it was someone you knew, rebuke has its place even in the church. but on the other hand, if it was a stranger, how presumptuous to speak into their life without knowing their life. Like you said, Ken, what if she did just step out of a nightclub and was on the way home when the Lord told her to get to church. of course after this nice encounter, she’d probably be looking to heaven saying, “well that sure touched my soul.”
Jim Moffett said:
To the question: So who are the evangelical world’s “untouchables”? The untouchables today (as I suspect they were in Jesus’s day) are those we deem as unloveable. Whether it’s because of intolerance, our perception of beauty, our view of status, our perception of worthiness, or whatever, the bottom line is we’ve deemed them unloveable. For if we really loved them as Jesus loved, none would be untouchable.
Shelley said:
I will go out on a limb and say that at some point, we have all been in the ‘untouchables’ category? (Maybe some deeper than others??!!!
I feel like my relationship with God is stronger because of the (many?) mistakes I have made and the lessons I have learned from them. I spent quite a few years making very wrong choices. I believe my faith is as strong as it is today because of the -very wrong- way I was living prior to. (hoping that got typed the way I was thinking????)
When I was searching for a way out of the place in life I seemed to be stuck in, it was a simple action of thoughtfulness (done by a DEC family member) that, I believe, God used as a ‘nudge’ to bring me in. This makes me feel it is our responsibility to reach out and touch others through simple thoughful actions. Take the extra ten minutes, write & mail a card or letter to someone who is down. Pick up the phone just to say ‘Hi’. Smile. Just yesterday I was asked by a friend to do something for her. I didn’t want to do it. I asked myself, ‘what would Jesus do?’. We touch people, more than we know, with our simple actions and the way we live our daily lives. You never know who’s watching…
terrysharbaugh said:
sometimes when the abortion debate is raging, there is a point that someone will bring up about “unwanted” babies. it has often been pointed out that “unwanted” has nothing to do with the child, but everything to do with the attitude of the parents. seems that this is kind of the same. what makes a person “untouchable” (or as Jim said so well “unlovable”) usually has more to do with our attitude towards that person than anything else. which makes Shelley’s point very good– in the eyes of others, there may be times we are the untouchables. kinda stinks when someone gets to classify you like that, doesn’t it?
Laurie Burdwood said:
my heart aches for our children who have grown up in our church but no longer feel welcome in our midst because of how they are living their lives now. What is the balance between speaking God’s truth and being forgiving and non-judging towards others who are struggling with owning (or rejecting) God’s truth? How do we love others the way Jesus does?
Alana said:
The untouchables in my life are the ones that are simply different from me - be it interests, social class, lifestyle, beliefs, quirks - whatever! When something about someone makes me uncomfortable or uncertain with how I identify and interact with them, I tend to shy away and even avoid them. I know God is trying to speak to me about loving unconditionally, stepping in faith that He will make His will known along the way if I obediently reach out. I kick and scream in protest sometimes, I don’t like the discomfort, but as I have heard in a variety of arenas, “No pain, no gain.” The untouchables are so often the ones that are longing most deeply, whether they know it or not, to experience the love and freedom in God that the Father has purposed for us to offer.
KenL said:
Alright, here’s that better answer I promised …
Mental illness is often problematic. Having done my own rounds with depression, I can say that it’s very difficult to relate to the whole “joy of Christ” thing while every day feels like pure misery. (Not at DEC) I have encountered Christians who argue that mental illness is basically just a lack of faith. I lost two of my friends from North Carolina over this issue … I wasn’t a good enough Christian to be their friend if I needed Wellbutrin.
You hit on the realm of politics in your post, and that is well worth a mention. Somehow, it has come to be accepted that in order to be a real Christian, you must also be a member of the (ahem!) right party. Whether I agree or not, I don’t think that such ideas as accepting global warming, pacifism, or even Socialism are necessarily in conflict with Christianity. (I could list some things that I think are, but I’ll wade slowly into that stream …)
Talley said:
I think the thing that touches me most this morning about this story is the way that the lepers called out to Jesus. I know that they were ‘untouchable’ and likely were following social customs put in place because of their status as lepers, but I wonder what the expectations of the lepers were in that moment. Did they really expect him to heal them from far away? Did they think that calling out to him as a group would have more power? The story doesn’t say that ten lepers called out to Jesus saying “have pity (mercy) on ME”. It almost seems half-hearted to me though, and yet Jesus heals them anyway. But how often do we, in the midst of our shame and feelings of inadequacy, give a weak cry of help when our hearts are really far from him? Rather than going straight to him, fully confessing our need for him and the things going on in our hearts, we expect Him to come close to us and do the work.
Muffy Tarcold said:
I know I have some sense of compassion for the homeless - but touching/hugging them would be a problem for me.
As for our church children Laurie, I have not witnessed first hand what you describe - I have always had the perception that we have been accepting of our kids’ return to the church, but you would know better than I since you work with them. But I am currently experiencing the heartbreak of having a couple of mine who are away at school and wandering from the faith - and I struggle with how to respond. I think what makes me recoil is an attitude amongst today’s teens and young adults that they are identifying themselves as Christians while embracing sin as NOT sinful. I think if anyone is struggling AGAINST sin, they should be received in the church, but if they are embracing sin and saying it’s GOOD and that we too should embrace their lifestyle choices, that is a different story. Paul instructs us in that regard although I don’t have time right now to cite the passage.
Laurie Burdwood said:
not to overload your blog but I just read from Bonhoeffer’s “Life Together” that Tom lent me and a passage really hit me in the gut. In his chapter on Ministry he speaks of the ministry of meekness. “to forego self-conceit and to associate with the lowly means…to consider oneself the greatest of sinners…how can I possible serve another person in unfeigned humility if I seriously regard his sinfulness as worse than my own?”
Oh, and I would add teenagers to list if untouchables in some sectors of our society. Especially those decked out in full goth or metal attire or openly gay.
Muffy, I agree. The problem I have is not knowing if someone is struggling with sin or denying that something is a sin.
Racquel said:
To me, “untouchables” are people we do not like to touch, people we do not like to talk with, especially those we do not like to mingle with because of their lifestyle, attitude, culture, religion, race, political views, loud mouth, always cursing, profession, and their vices.
Sometimes, people with “crab” attitude are fit to be called one of the “untouchables”. Crabs look straight, but walk sideward. There are people who talk straight, but do things differently. Like people who claim they are Christians, and talk like one, but do not walk the walk of a true disciple of Christ.
The question “what is our responsibility to reach out and touch these folks with the love of Christ?”, reminds me of the same question pertaining to children’s responsibility to their parents, the parents” responsibility to their children, the Christians” responsibility to their fellow Christians and others.
Some people avoid taking responsibility. Some children just send their elderly parents to the Care-Giving Homes because they don’t want to burden themselves with the heavy responsibility of personally taking care of their parents. Some parents give their children for adoption because they don’t want to carry the weight of raising their children. Some Christians pass their responsibility to the Pastors, because they are busy, or they are not yet ready to minister.
Some may say, “Oh, it’s the Pastor’s responsibility to reach out and touch these ‘untouchables’.”
The Pastor is just like a “shepherd”. He can shout, he can call the lost sheep to come to him, but he needs the “baah-baah” sound of the sheep in his fold for the lost sheep to hear, so they may be able to locate the source of the sound that would lead them to the flock they long to be with.
In short, our responsibility to reach out and touch the “untouchables” is to make a sound, the familiar voice of true followers of Christ, so that when the lost souls hear our voices, chances are, they may be able to locate the source of the voice, which is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE.
We must go and share the Gospel to the “untouchables”, the voice of the true followers of Christ.
What is the use of a trumpet, if it can not produce a sound? And, the Bible can not walk, it needs somebody to pass it around, so others can have the chance to read it.
Maranatha,
Racquel
Scott Rowland said:
I’m the first to admit I have a hard time reaching out. I’m the kind of guy that really feels uncomfortable when it’s time to turn around at church and say hello to someone I don’t know, which highlights for me the real tragedy of so many churches - we become a clique. I’ve been to more than one church in various states across the country where the congregation really is just a club, you say hello to the same people, spend Wednesday night with the same people, have lunch after church with the same people, and socialize on Friday night with the same people. Fellowship is great, becoming exclusive is not. I’ll see people who are obviously new and don’t know anybody, and no one would just go up and say hello.
I’m as guilty as anyone else, but in a sense I think it’s actually easier to greet the person who looks like they just came from the nightclub. You know they’re new, it’s easier to tell that they’re searching for something. The people who are well-dressed and seem “normal” are more intimidating - Heaven forbid you bump into them at work during the week!
Pete said:
GK Chesterton said the hardest person to love is your next-door neighbor because you have no control over them being there, as opposed to making a noble, pre-meditated effort to go to the lowest caste in India or something like that. My evangelical radar is up for the normal list of “others” but I overlook those right next to me because I might actually have to interact with them on a daily basis.
Manger sermon last week- on his “first night” Christ appears in a feeding trough and on his “last night” he says eat my flesh and drink my blood
Tim Golden said:
great topic terry!
For those that need a good visual
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68OAEMSaSe4
in today’s society there can be many groups of people that we can classify as ‘untouchables’, which opens the door to a whole other sermon series….”who am i to judge/classify people as ‘untouchables’ or anything else…. i’d like to think i dont put people into any ‘untouchable’ box but that’s just not the case i’m constantly reminding myself not to fall into the trap of judging people…but there is more to this story than judgment and classification…. as some mentioned.. sin, straying from faith, mentally challenged, depression.. the list can go on…
as i re-read the story and asked myself..what is god trying to tell me with this story
a lawyer asking Jesus about how to achieve eternal life…there’s got to be a joke in there someplace..
notice how Jesus puts it back on him.. “what does the law say”… almost like he’s poking fun..like you’re a lawyer… tell me how you interpret the laws..and the lawyer’s response was ‘right’.. coincidently doesn’t the word ‘Samaritan’ come from a Hebrew term meaning “Keepers of the law”.. interesting…
but the lawyer wasn’t happy with Jesus’ response…and as any lawyer would do…. question authority…
ok then.. who is my neighbor..can’t you hear the smugness in his voice…like… well fine!.. i understand the rules:
– You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart -> CHECK
– with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind -> a bit harder but -> CHECK
– and your neighbor as yourself… aaaahhh.. there’s something i can question…
who is this ‘neighbor’ Jesus speaks of… now that’s a point of clarification..
Jesus responds in one of the most widely used parables..the good Samaritan… funny how many non believers use the ‘Samaritan’ story when they talk about acts of heroism and other ‘good deeds’..yet another sermon topic..anyhow…the priest and the Levite rejected the man….but the Samaritan had compassion on him and took care of him.. way beyond just asking him if he was “ok” but picked him up, took him to safely and paid his way to recovery..REALLY.. paid his way…can you say health care..!..wow! a new meaning to going out of your way for someone.. above and beyond..
ok so i think get it.. i need to have compassion on people and go above and beyond for them.. to put their needs before my own.. to serve them in a way that no one else is willing to.. or to afraid to do…
maybe that’s why the priest and Levite rejected/passed by.. because they were afraid..
sure we can have all kinds of excuses why we don’t help out; work, school..too busy..as we say.. granted we can’t help everyone all the time.. but when you blatantly see someone in need and you pass them by w/o even a gesture of compassion..then are we really letting God be in control.. or our own fears..
The Samaritan took mercy on the man and showed compassion.. w/o fear.. and rather than keeping just a “keeper of the law” became a “DO-er of the law” in Hosea 6:6 “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice: and the knowledge of God more than burnt sacrifice”…
for me its quite clear that God want us to live out our lives in a way that offers compassion to those around us.. to love our neighbor as our self.. but making that happen in everyday life.. that’s a tough challenge.. I’m excited to see how God plans to use me and my fellow worshipers at DEC..
terrysharbaugh said:
OK, this is getting too weird. All week long, everything I read seems to have some part where it quotes GK Chesterton. This guy has more great lines than Will Rogers, but I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book of his. So what exactly did he write– need to get it on my reading list.
terrysharbaugh said:
blogger’s note!!! after reading Tim’s really good comments, i realized that unless you first looked at the study guides, you wouldn’t always know what text the message is coming from. i referenced the story of the good samaritan in the blog, but i’m preaching about the 10 lepers. so i just edited all the titles so it should be clear where the message is coming from.
Racquel said:
Greetings to you brothers and sisters in Christ our Lord and Savior.
As I’ve read all the comments pertaining to this thread, which tackles about the “untouchables” and how to reach out and touch them in Christ our Lord, I would admit I was deeply touched. I learned a lot from KenL’s comments, my eyes were opened by Jim Moffet’s opinions, I find Shelley’s comments similar to what I experienced in life, my heart bled when I read Laurie Burdwood’s observations, I find Alana’s comments very inspirational, I admire Scott Rowland for being frank and straight, Pete’s opinions had given some understanding, and Tim Golden’s post widened my perspective in life. Not to mention Terry’s in-depth analysis about life in relation to the “untouchables”.
I hope everyone in the church would read this and participate in this blogs like this, so they may learn a lot also and be able to share their thoughts and perspectives.
Racquel
(Allen’s fiancee writing from the Philippines)
Pete said:
Chesterton wrote The Everlasting Man, Heretics, Orthodoxy, St. Francis of Assisi, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Tremendous Trifles, The Father Brown Mysteries.
Jeremy said:
Being in High School i know who are the untouchables and who aren’t. In the high school i go to, the untouchables are the ones that either a. are annoying and weird; b. mentally or physically handicapted; or c. the ones that just look strange(goth, emo, gangster, etc)
In society, i think its much of the same thing. However, as you said, God didnt think of these people as untouchables, and more than once he went out of his way to go and speak to them by touching them, listening to them, etc. Its hard for kids that dont have a problem with the “untouchables” in my high school(like me and my friends) that try to include them in conversations, in activities and etc and get made fun of or denounced because of it.
But then again, it doesnt matter what other people think right?(Hope i got my point across there)
Jean said:
WoW !!! Here I am at 1:00 a.m on Sunday morning, thinking about the passage and connecting it in with our Family Life meeting on Saturday night. We spent a good amount of time talking about what would be called the untouchables. Those with Disabilities. How often do we let our fear get in the way as Alana stated from letting us reach out and share the love of Jesus. It takes us out of our comfort zone. How easy is it for us to get to church??? And yet for many with wheelchairs etc who don’t have the family member to bring them, they sit at home. How about stopping and opening a door and holding it open for someone in that wheelchair, and to stop and talk with them and say hello and make them feel a part of DEC or any church. Instead of walking by and not even giving a smile or taking a few minutes to speak to them. We treat them as though they are invisible. I know having worked with the Deaf, it scared me to death when I first started, but I took the step and found that they were so happy to have me making the attempt to reach out and recognize them as a person with worth, that they helped me with the sign, and letting me know when I was signing incorrectly. It made me realize that I let my fear control how I was responding to the Deaf and others with disabilities instead of trusting the Lord to walk through the situation with me and give me what I need and in return to hopefully show Jesus. Hey Terry thanks for stretching us with this sermon and making me uncomfortable with where I am.
Josh Evans said:
One thought I’ve been wrestling with this week is that when I look at some of the “large” groupings of people on the fringes (the untouchables), I can more easily stand at a distance and say, “Yeah, I need to reach out to that group” or “As Christians we need to love those folks better”. But sometimes when I’m looking on such a big scale, not a lot of action in the day-to-day is actually required.
What I keep coming back to are the “untouchables” in my own life - those that I’ve allowed to stay at a distance (neighbors, co-workers, acquaintances from church) because it’s easier that way. That’s not to say they fit into a classic “untouchables” category, but as Shelley said earlier, we’ve all been untouchables at one point or another.
The verse I keep coming back is Matthew 22:39 - Love your neighbor as yourself.