Changing The Way We Live with Each Other
Notes
Transcript
1. Bystander Effect
1. Bystander Effect
Bystander Effect (Kitty Genovese) - In year 1964, a 28 year-old woman named Kitty Genovese, was stabbed, robbed, and raped in the middle of the night in New York. She was brutally stabbed many times, while yelling for help, but no one responded to her. When Kitty Genovese was being attacked, she did run away and yelled for help. No one came to help. Then she was caught by the man. She was raped and robbed $49. When her friends found her on the street, she was bleeding and dying. She died on the way to the hospital.
Some reports mentioned that there were 38 people who heard the scream, somehow knew Kitty Genovese was in distress, and yelled for help. But none of them did anything.
This story was later investigated by social psychologiss and studied what is well-known today as “bystander effect.” People did not respond to such an emergency, even though the woman was yelling for help for more than 30 minutes for various reasons because:
Diffuse responsibility. People assume that someone else will help. People did not feel is their responsibility to report and help because someone else will.
Competency. Not sure they are competent enough to help.
Ignorance. Many people are looking for social cues about what to do. If someone else help, they might make a move. Or everyone is waiting for each other to do something.
Interview with the perpetrator. In a forensic psychology article, written by Dr. Harold Takooshian, mentioned that many other studies were conducted after the incident and found out that Kitty Genovese’s cause was not unique. There were many other cases throughout history to demonstrate the Bystander Effect. In his Dr. Takooshian’s article, he wrote that a Chief of Detectives, Albert Seedman, asked a criminal how he dared to attack a woman in front of so many witnesses, the murderer calmly replied, "I knew they wouldn't do anything. People never do"
What would you do? We are Christians, supposedly filled by God the Holy Spirit. What would you do in such a situation?
What I have just talked about are social psychologists’ observation. But the Bible has a critical way of looking at humanity.
2. “No one will help.”
2. “No one will help.”
Let me quote again what the Chief of Detectives, Albert Seedman, asked a criminal how he dared to attack a woman in front of so many witnesses, the murderer calmly replied, "I knew they wouldn't do anything. People never do.”
Although this could be an overgeneralization of all society. There are some community that will take action if they see someone else in distress. But, this investigation happens in New York. The renowned Big Apple. Many sociologists did realize that the more urbanized a civilization, the more social problems we have. We like to think we are more modern, more advance, and created more convenience and economic opportunities. But the truth is, there are more social problems.
The issue is our fallen human nature. We may like think it is a city problem; it is a cultural problem. The problem is not human social development per se. The problem is our nature of sin, our human sinful nature. When the criminal answered the detective that, “I knew they wouldn’t do anything. People never do.” The murderer was not entirely wrong. Humans, in our sinfulness, we are occupied with all kinds passions; passions including wrong priorities in life. This is why we never seem to make the right choices, take the right actions; such as this case, many failed to respond to help another fellow human being.
Our Gospel reading today, our Lord was dining in the house of the Jewish religious leader of the Pharisees. Pharisees are supposedly highly trained in theology and their Torah. I believe they were waiting to have a theological discussion or discourse with our Lord.
They saw an opportunity to test Jesus when a person suffering from dropsy seeking healing. The Pharisees knew Jesus was popular to heal the sick. So they wanted to test Jesus whether was he going to violate the Ten Commandments, which was to working during Sabbath. This was mentioned in Luke 14:3
And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?”
What did our Lord answer? Our Lord answered a humanly sensible answer.
And he said to them, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?”
In fact, what Jesus did was answering them another law and command in Deuteronomy 22:4
Deuteronomy 22:4 (ESV)
You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen down by the way and ignore them. You shall help him to lift them up again.
Our Lord was tested by the experts of the Torah - the Pharisees and the lawyers were experts in Torah. And our Lord responded to them with a Law in Deuteronomy.
What our Lord did was more than just trying to be technical or answering them with another commandment of in the Torah. But it was pointing out a humanly sensible respond. Some people can get very lofty, filled with intellectual ideas and teachings, but failed to look at a situation with the most humanly compassionate way. But the key of our learning today is in the parable from Luke 14:7-11.
Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
The parable was meant to point out the issues with some of the Pharisees. While Jesus was dining with them, Jesus use parables that parallels their current situation, which was having a meal. In verse 7-11. In Luke 14:7,
Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them,
Our Lord saw their issue of seeking the place of honor and used a parable to humble them. In Luke 14:11, at the end of the parable of our Lord said,
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
From the question of healing on the Sabbath and our Lord pointed out their issue of seeking places of honor and self-exaltation, how are they related?
What the Pharisees missed in healing a sick person on Sabbath or how they were supposed to be expert of the Laws but missed Deuteronomy 22:4 was because the eyes of their heart were clouded and darkened by high places in their political positions. While they were not wrong about the importance of observing the Sabbath, but they failed to see the heart of the Laws were meant to liberate people and bring peace and harmony to the community. The vice of pride and their ego for honor has clouded them to see the truth of the Laws of God.
You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen down by the way and ignore them. You shall help him to lift them up again.
The issues of the lawyers and Pharisees were a reflection of our human nature. Many of us who are darkened in the eyes of our heart. Instead of seeing the truth and heart of God in the Laws, some of us completely missed the point of the commandments and Laws of God.
Remember earlier I shared the case study by the Chief of Detectives who questioned the murderer that the murderer knew that no one cares. He knew that no one will respond or do anything, therefore, evil becomes bold. The evil is not only the murder, but the ignorance and inaction of the bystanders. People hear another screaming for help, but no one respond.
Many people could easily excuse themselves, “We did not know what to do?” Or “I thought someone else will help or call the police.” But in the lens of the Bible and the truth of we are, we are sinners who are sick in the soul. We canno
Let me tell you why or what kind of sickness most of us have that are similar to the Pharisees and lawyers. We have the issue of looking at high places, self-exaltation, and selfishness. This is why many of us are extremely occupied with making money, racing children to tuitions, building self-comforting lifestyle. We do it so much and make it a priority, it has taken away the humanity in us that God has given us, which is a human soul that can feel the pain of another human soul. Because many of us have lost our souls, we do not feel the soul of others.
We are willing to rip each other, lie and cheat each other. We will do whatever it takes to close a sale or get what we want. We apologize and say sorry even when we do nothing wrong, so we will get money to self-exalt our life; but we will not feel guilty or say sorry when we ignore and abandon another fellow human being who needs our help. We get offended when your priest tell you to abandon the chase for money and live out life that is pleasing to God.
The virtue of humility includes when we think less of ourselves. It is not about self-condescending. It is about thinking less about ourselves. In other words, we place less interest about ourselves; diminishing our ego, self-interest or self-centeredness.
When we think less about ourselves, we think more about God and other people. When we empty ourselves, we will understand the purpose and the will of God in His Laws and commandments, which is meant to liberate us to live freely and live in peace and harmony with each other.
On the other hand, pride is always interested in what I - the ego - wants. It is about what I want. I want to work harder, make some money, get a comfortable high position life. Some of us do not realize such self-centeredness is related to the vice of pride. Well, pride is over-inflating our worthy and value. Some of us have an ego that is so big, when another soul is in pain and suffering, they don’t feel them. We do not have the capacity to feel for another soul. The ego is too big to care for another person’s pain.
There is another issue of pride or ego self-centeredness that might be hindering us to care for another person’s suffering. The Pharisees and the lawyers were testing our Lord about the obedience to the law of Sabbath. Obedience to the commands and laws of God are essential. But why are you obedient? Is it because of love? Faith? Or is it because you just want to do it for the sake of getting things done? Some of us just want to make sure we are “saved” per se, and we make sure we get the laws correctly, but we miss the point of obeying the laws is to learn how to love God and our neighbors. Some of us just want to make sure we do not end up getting punished by God and go to hell, so we obey the laws of God. Because of it, we lose our soul.
This is why in the New Testament, St. Paul wrote that the Laws does not exactly give life, but the faith and grace of Jesus Christ gives life. In 2 Corinthians 3:6 “who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”
3. The Church is the Kingdom community
3. The Church is the Kingdom community
Brothers and sisters, our epistle reading today emphasize the new life we have in the Church ought to be different. The Church is the community Kingdom of heaven on earth. In our reading today in Ephesians 4:1-6, St. Paul wrote to the Church in verse 2-3, Ephesians 4:2–3 “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” The reason St. Paul wrote this letter to the Church because the Church was having issues of living out such virtues and spirit of God.
Let me explain it in simple language. The Church is not showing humility to care for each other. The way the people in the Church was treating each others was not pleasant. People were rude, selfish, and disunited.
Please do not get me and the New Testament wrong. Were all the Church and the Church of Ephesians always like that? No. According to some historical account of the Church, the Church was strong bonded together. People were amazed with how Christians love each other. But when the New Testament was written to the Church, often they are new. They were mostly less than 15 years old. They were newly formed and planted Churches by the Apostles.
What’s the issue here that the word of God is speaking to us? The issue here is the lack of humility, which includes the lack of selflessness - the lack of love and honor for each other. When we are so consumed by our ego and pride, it manifests into a cold and disunited community. And these ego may be hidden in our religious obedience. “I come to Church. I obey my priest.” And etc. But deep within us, there is a self-centered pride that we cannot lower ourselves to care for each other.
Let me give you some examples how pride and ego get in the way of forming a godly, loving community of the Church. A Church member or your priest ask you how are you doing, what is your reply? “Fine. I am doing great.” Sometimes such reply could be a standard. But the truth is, many of us are struggling with something. I am a priest. I know. I can see things you all cannot see. Not because people tell me secrets, but because it is a gift that God has given to me. Why are some of us are avoidant to tell people we are not doing well? It takes two hands to clap.
Firstly, many of us are are too proud to tell people that we are not doing well. We want to appear to be successful, in control, and everything is okay. Instead of asking for help, even for prayers, we put up a facade to show people we are doing well. In our ego and pride, we are afraid and ashamed to show others about our weakness or even failures.
Secondly, we have prideful judgmental individuals condemning others. When someone tells you about their struggles and weakness, you are very quick to judge. Some people are so prideful and egotistical, you just can’t wait to tell people what to do. It is not because you selflessly and humbly care for another person’s pain and struggle so that you want to advise others what to do. It is because you are so full of yourself, you just like to tell people what to do. You don’t really care whether your suggestions and ideas can really help another fellow brother and sister get through the crisis. You just want to feed your ego. And, if people do not listen to them, they will say they are stubborn! You can easily tell the kind of pride and ego such individuals have because if their suggestions and ideas do not work out, they will not take responsibilities. People who really care about the pain and struggles you are going through, they are careful with their words and suggestions. If they love you and care for your soul, they will do everything to help you; not take advantage to feed their ego.
Lastly, which is the most prominent issue. People do not want to share their problems because - it is similar to what the murderers told the detective Seedman that I shared earlier - because they know that no one cares. People will not do anything even if you cry out for help. This is the dark cynical truth about our community.
Let me ask all of us here in Holy Trinity Asia. What is the condition of our community? Do we really care for each other? It is commendable that all of you travel from for more than one hour to the Church. It shows obedience. But, you don’t get it what it means to be a Christian - a follower of Christ, a new person living in the Holy Spirit - unless you put to death your pride and ego that will allow you to humble care for each others’ souls. Like I have mentioned. It takes two hands to clap. It is not only humility for the one to openly share your struggles and pain with each other, but showing humility - which is without pride and ego - that you genuinely care another fellow brother and sister.
Brothers and sisters, this is the spirit we are baptized in as a Church. A lowly, humble, and selfless spirit displayed by our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord emptied himself to become a human person - suffered, humiliated, and died on the Cross - and in his greatness through humility and selflessness, he was resurrected and glorified. We are confident that to turn to our Lord Jesus Christ because we know he is meek, humble, and loving. Even when we sin, when we struggle with whatever issues, if we humbly come to him for help, the display of his selfless love gives us confident that he cares enough to help us. Likewise, if we are disciples of Jesus Christ, we are baptized in Christ, including crucifying our pride and ego on the Cross to display this love to the world.