What Would Jesus Say?

For those who have not yet heard, Lowe's is pulling its advertising from The Learning Channel's All American Muslim. (If you have not heard this disturbing news, see a news report from CNN here or my previous post here.) The group leading the charge is called the Florida Family Association, led by David Caton. According to their website, their mission is "to educate people on what they can do to defend, protect, and promote traditional biblical values."  

One might assume that people interested in "biblical values" would be interested in the teachings of Jesus. So here is a parable from the tenth chapter of Luke's Gospel, only slightly edited. Let anyone with ears to hear, hear:

On one occasion a member of the Florida Family Association stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“What is written in the Law?” Jesus replied. “How do you read it?”

He answered, “‘love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and, ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’

"You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Detroit to Dearborn when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A pastor of a large mega-church happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by. So too, an Executive Director of a lobbying organization to preserve "traditional family values" - when he came to the place and saw him, passed by.

But a young Muslim high school student, who was running late to soccer practice, as he traveled came to where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He pulled over, knowing he'd never get to soccer practice and went to him and bandaged his wounds and put ointment on them. Then he put the man in his own car and drove him to the hospital. He waited with him in the Emergency Room for two hours until the man's wife finally arrived. And then he stayed with them both until the man's doctor arrived. (Turns out the doc happened to be the kid's mother, one of the most respected surgeons in Dearborn--but that's another story!)

"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The member of the FFA replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”