WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?

Liam Ramos was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) just after arriving home from school.

The question, “Who is my neighbor,” put to Jesus by a lawyer more than two millennia ago, has never felt more urgent.

The question behind the question feels urgent too: “Who must I love?”

In less than 200 words, Jesus jumps all the border fences, transcending ethnic, social, religious, political and enemy lines. He makes a hero out of a Samaritan, the sworn enemy of his day, and redefines the concept of neighbor (Luke 10: 25-37). Not just family, tribe, or those in our faith tradition. Not just people who look like us, dress like us, talk like us, vote like us, live like us.

Then he raises the ante by self-identifying with those who suffer most. When we love the beat-up, overlooked, left-out, invisible, unwanted, and the taken-for-granted, we love God (Matthew 25: 40). Plain and simple.

Five-year-old, Liam Ramos, and his father who were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in January and sent to a deportation center in Texas. Twelve days later they returned home after a judge ordered their release. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Liam and his father entered the United States illegally, while the family’s lawyer said they followed proper protocols to seek asylum.

We can debate policy but not the worth of human beings, nor how we treat them. The imperative to love God and neighbor has not changed. Nor has doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly. Either we believe all people are made in the image of God, or we don’t. Either we consider ourselves followers of Jesus first, and citizens of our countries second, or we don’t.

The problem with Jesus is that he doesn’t let us choose who we love.