Elyssa Smith talked about loving our neighbor. She emphasized that if she had chosen to follow Christ, then it meant that she needed to love those whom Christ loved.
Elyssa Smith
Christian singer and songwriter Elyssa Smith discussed “racism” on “The Handlebar Podcast.” She first mentioned the parable of the Good Samaritan, wherein Jesus described to a lawyer who his neighbors were. In Luke 10, an expert in the law asked Jesus how to inherit eternal life. Then, Jesus questioned him about what was written in the law and his understanding of it. In verse 27, the man 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.’”
Jesus then replied that he was right. But the man wanted to justify himself, and in the succeeding verse, he asked, “Who is my neighbor?” According to Elyssa, it seemed like this man wanted to see if Jesus would permit him to choose who his neighbor would be. And she stressed out, “Jesus is saying, ‘You don’t get to pick who your neighbor is.’”
I Love Who Christ Loves
Furthermore, she explained that everyone is precious to God. Then, she continued to share the story of the Samaritan helping the Jewish man who had been robbed on the road. “Samaritans and Jews hated each other. They could not get along…It was racially charged. And so, Jesus uses this parable that just shocks this man because He was like, ‘No, you don’t understand. Like to love me is to love who’s in front of you,’” she highlighted.
Moreover, she said that people don’t get to choose how much or how little they will love someone. For her, people tend to judge based on appearance, but God looks at the heart. She then emphasized, “For me, I’m confronted with, if I have chosen to follow Christ, that means I love who Christ loves. And who does Christ love? Everyone.” She believed that God had no favoritism.
Watch the full video here.
Reference | THE HANDLEBAR PODCAST
Header Image: The Handler Podcast. (Screenshot). (2024). ‘Why is There Racism in the Church?’ Retrieved May 7, 2024: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71RT4y68iXo