CCTV footage from the riots in London last year captured their shocking nature vividly.
Bad Samaritan?
A dazed young man, profusely bleeding from his face, is helped to his feet by another man. Others stand around. Are they concerned?
They are – they are concerned to gain any valuables that they can from this victim. They don’t want to help him; they want to help themselves – to his stuff. A man rips open his backpack and empties it of its contents. An iPad is taken out and the robber swaggers off.
It is the exact reverse of the story Jesus told – the Good Samaritan – in which a wounded victim is helped by a stranger. On London’s streets it was more like the Bad Samaritan. Forget neighbourly care. This is selfishness run riot (no pun intended).
“Self will run riot” is how the Alcoholics Anonymous handbook describes the root of alcoholism. Words that could also be used to describe the motivation of thousands of young men and women out for violent fun as the riots spread around the UK.
The Bible calls this “sin”. A dusty, old-hat, outmoded idea? Think about it: “sin” has ‘I’ in the middle. It is “self” running amok.
Sin expresses itself in many forms, not all as in-your-face and newsworthy as riots. One thing is a common feature, though: we sinners don’t want to acknowledge that we are sinners.
Why should I? I am the important one, and to hell with the rest of them.
Self is all. Self is God. Self must be obeyed, and just let anyone try to stop me!
But for those who want to break the addiction to self, there’s good news. We can be “freed from sin” says the Bible. Jesus can break its grip on us. Time to humble ourselves, ask for help, and Jesus, like a Good Samaritan – the best Samaritan – will help us start a new life.
