VOTING and the Parable of the Good Samaritan

One of the first Bible stories I remember learning as a child was The Parable of the Good Samaritan. I recall my parents reading this story and discussing it with my sister and me. I understood the parable at a very young age, but sadly, many Christians today — including pastors — seem to have forgotten its lesson. Jesus is clear: His followers have a moral obligation to use their power to help those in need. Pastors and other Christians who refuse to help their neighbors in need are not truly following Christ. In fact, they are "Christ followers" in name only. They might believe that God exists and that Jesus was resurrected — but, as James 2:19 points out, even demons believe that much. The difference is, they don’t follow everything Jesus commanded (Matthew 28:20). Indeed, they do not love Jesus, as He said in John 14:1 . . .

“If you love me, you will keep my commands.”

Christians in America today face a choice. They can either use their God-given power to protect their neighbors and the "least of these," or they can squander it, patting themselves on the back for their moral stance in refusing to vote for a sinner like Trump. By refusing to use their God-given power to oppose the profound and objective evil threatening their neighbors — whom Jesus commanded them to love — they are much like the priest who ignored the suffering man on the road in the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Let me explain, but first, consider the thought experiment offered by Jesus:

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

²⁵ And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” ²⁶ He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” ²⁷ And he answered, “You shall 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 your neighbor as yourself.” And he answered, “You shall 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 your neighbor as yourself.” ²⁸ And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

²⁹ But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” ³⁰ Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. ³¹ Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. ³² So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. ³⁴ He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵ And the next day he took out two denariiAnd the next day he took out two denarii^<c=">c</a>"> and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’  and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ ³⁶ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” ³⁷ He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

Jesus makes it clear that the priest was guilty of “pastoral malpractice” and did not love his neighbor. But the priest surely had a good excuse, right? Consider that the priest believed he was maintaining his moral high ground by avoiding the man. If the person lying there was a non-Jew, the priest risked becoming ritually unclean, especially if the man was dead. If defiled, the priest would be unable to collect, distribute, or consume tithes, which would also affect his family and servants. Priests were required to remain ritually pure and serve as examples of the law. Any defilement would bring immediate shame and embarrassment in the eyes of the public and their peers. Moreover, the process of regaining ritual purity was both humiliating and costly, requiring the purchase and preparation of a red heifer for a ritual that took an entire week. Put yourself in his shoes. He faced a difficult choice. He believed he had to remain holy and couldn’t approach within four cubits of a dead body without becoming defiled. To check on the injured man -- who could be dead for all he knew -- he would have had to cross that boundary. A valid excuse, right? Not according to Jesus. In light of excuses like these, consider Matthew 25:

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

⁴⁶ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

What Would Jesus Say Today?

If Jesus were walking the earth today, He might say something like this to those who are willing to sacrifice their subjective feelings for the objective good of others:

“I was a baby who they were trying to rip apart in the womb, and you protected me, I was a confused child whose flesh they were trying to physically mutilate, and you stood up against them.”

To the self-righteous who refuse to use their power to stop the evil threatening their neighbors, Jesus might say the following:

“I was a baby who they were trying to rip apart in the womb, and you wasted your vote and did nothing, I was a confused child whose flesh they were trying to physically mutilate, and you voted for Harris/Walz. Whatever you did not do for the least of these, you did not do for me.”

Many more evils could be included in this list (See, "

An Open Letter to Never Trump Friends

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Some churchgoers today are voting for Harris and Walz. This is morally reprehensible and inexcusable. Indeed, it is impossible for an informed and consistent follower of Christ to use their God-given power to help advance the objectively evil policies that will bring more death and destruction upon their neighbors. Others are trying to justify voting for a third party or abstaining from the vote altogether. This is also a failure to love your neighbor which sums up the entirety of the Law of Christ (Galatians 5:14):

¹⁴ 

For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Christians in America: you have God-given power which can be used to protect your neighbors from great objective evil threatening the least of these. Use your vote and your voice to oppose the objective evil advanced by Harris, Walz, and the modern-day Democrat machine. With our neighbors in mind, Josh Klein and I have carefully explained why we believe that we possess "A Moral Obligation to Vote for an Immoral Candidate" (Trump). We also contend that Christ followers in America have a moral obligation to protect our neighbors here and now by using all of our legal God-given power to oppose the evil advanced by Harris and Walz. In the words attributed to Bonhoeffer:

“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. 

Not to act is to act.”

And not to vote is to vote.

Stay reasonable (Isaiah 1:18) and love your neighbors (Matthew 22:37-39; Mark 12:30-31), Dr. Tim Stratton

Notes

Consider an argument showing why it is impossible for an informed and consistent Christ follower to vote for Harris and Walz:

1. If person X chooses to use their power to advance the evil of person Y, then person X is actively advancing evil (they are in sin).

2. The murder of unborn humans with no limits to birth (and sometimes infanticide), the sexual mutilation of confused children, and Marxism are all instances of some of the greatest evil on the planet today (Matt 23:23-24).

3. The modern-day Democrat machine—including Harris and Walz—advances the murder of unborn humans with no limits to birth (and sometimes infanticide), the sexual mutilation of confused children, and Marxism.

4. Therefore, the modern-day Democrat machine—including Harris and Walz—is advancing some of the greatest evil on the face of the planet today.

5. Therefore, if person X chooses to use their power (one vote and a voice) to advance the evil of the modern-day Democrat machine—including a vote for Harris and Walz—then person X is actively advancing some of the greatest evil on the face of the planet today (they are in sin).

Lest one make the mistake of responding with “but neither side is perfect,” or “both platforms include evil policies,” consider the words of Jesus when confronting the religious leaders and politicians of the day. Always start with the words of Christ! Matthew 23: 23-24 provides a good example (note that Jesus was not always “nice”):

23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the

more important matters of the law

—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.”

According to Jesus, not all moral laws are of equal weight. Jesus spoke of 

weightier

 matters of the law in Matthew 23:23. And the 

least

 of these, Matthew 5:19. And the 

greatest

 commandment, Matthew 22:36. He told Pilot that Judas had committed the 

greater

 sin, John 19:11.” Think about the “weightier” or “more important matters of the law” and modern-day America. Politicians today are more concerned about the consequences of using plastic drinking straws than placing restrictions on abortion (killing millions of innocent human beings) and actually advocate for it in many cases. What do you think Jesus would say to these politicians or those who vote for them? (Note the use of the word “hypocrite” above!) But some Christians believe they need to keep praying about voting for a candidate who isn’t always “nice —even though he fights against the mass-murder of babies (not to mention fighting against Marxism–arguably the greatest evil to ever hit the planet, critical theory, sex reassignment surgery on children, “drag queen story hour” for little kids, etc). Dr. William Lane Craig puts it nicely when discussing churches and politics:

“The exception is when these political issues touch on either ethical or religious issues. Then, I think

is a fair game . . . indeed, we have a *responsibility* to address those sorts of issues."

https://www.reasonablefaith.org/media/reasonable-faith-podcast/j.d-vance-and-the-philosophy-of-religion-part-one