And the Walls Came a Tumblin' Down

Micah 5:1-4, 10-15
Luke 10:25-37
I don’t think it’s too far a stretch to view the wall that Micah describes in 5:1 as one that we have built ourselves through our sinfulness and our selfishness. In the same way the siege “laid against us” (v. 1), the one that keeps us boxed in, trapped, divided from one another, can be seen as anything that we allow to come between us and God or one another. If you accept this interpretation, then consider the Good Samaritan of Luke 10 to be a “siege buster,” for his actions serve to break down walls of enmity and sinfulness and to set us free to live in faithful obedience to God.

“Which of these…was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers,” Jesus asked a lawyer (Luke 10:36). “He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise’” (v.37). Frankly we can always find reasons to distance ourselves from one another, to divide ourselves into groups or cliques. The question should be who is willing to build up community instead of tearing it down? Who is willing to be the “siege buster,” in day to day life? Who is willing to go and do as the Samaritan did? I think about the stereotypical junior high school dance, with the boys lined up on one side of the gym and the girls on the other. The music is playing, but until one boy or girl has the courage to cross the room and invite another to dance there will be only division and separation. Once someone has started the process others may feel free to join in until a community takes shape in the middle of the gym, boys and girls having a good time together.

Politics, social standing, economics, nationality, and sadly, even religion, often act as cleavers in our world, cutting God’s creation into ever smaller pieces. What we need is hearts of compassion and mercy that will allow us to grow together, into a trusting, loving, nurturing whole. Then the walls will come tumblin’ down and life—the way God intends it—can take root in our midst. In his death and resurrection Jesus “crossed the room” and has invited us to dance to the joyous music of the coming reign of God. Will we?

Prayer: Lord, help us to come together in love, mutual respect, and community, and to cast off the sins and idolatries that keep us so deeply divided. In Jesus’ name. Amen.