What would Jesus do?
I just wrapped up a really lovely holiday season with friends and family. I cut back on baking and decorating, doled out home-made preserves and truly enjoyed the season. I snapped a picture on Christmas day of my parents, husband, son and dog around the Christmas tree and it just warmed my heart. I keep thinking over and over, “Everything I ever wanted I already have.” That’s truly the way I feel. Now, just because I’m filled with gratitude and good feelings, doesn’t mean I don’t have room for some disgust over the hypocrisy of people who call themselves Christians
Case in point. Around Christmas time I heard a news story about a couple in Spartanburg that had an encounter with a homeless man that ended in a shooting. The couple owned a home that was vacant and up for sale in Converse Heights, an older upscale subdivision in Spartanburg. The owners were tipped off by their Realtor that someone might be occupying the house. They went by to check it out and discovered a homeless man inside. There was a confrontation and according to news reports when the vagrant touched the man on his arm, his wife opened fire and shot the man in the face.
The homeless man was arrested, treated for his injuries and remains in custody. The woman wasn’t charged because she was acting in defense of her property. OK, here’s the deal…it’s Christmas, there’s a homeless man, living outside in the cold and he took shelter in your vacant home. I’m not saying that’s all right or that you shouldn’t throw him out but…did you think about calling the police once you discovered him there? I personally couldn’t shoot anyone unless they were threatening to kill me or someone I loved, this guy was unarmed. So…it got me thinking about Mary and Joseph. What if the innkeeper not only turned them away because there were no vacancies but…he shot Joseph in the face? Seriously people, what if this couple had allowed this guy to pack up his belongings and driven him to the soup kitchen or McDonald’s and given him a meal, then prayed together and parted peacefully?
What would Jesus do? I’m thinking he wouldn’t carry a gun or shoot a needy stranger in the face.
Roxanne Walker
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Reader Comments (4)
The couple should have called the police and let them handle it. They did not know what the situation could be that they were entering. That person could have had a gun and shot them. They took an unnecessary risk in this situation.
PS: they did not have firearms back in 30AD, however, Peter carried a small sword. Had there been today's technology back then, he would have carried a Ruger SR9c 9mm.
As you say, they could have informed law enforcement of the trespass and instructed police officers to intervene and escort the trespasser from the building. Instead the couple decided to go Bonnie and Clyde and shoot the culprit like some stray dog inside the fence. This mayhem not only is evidence of non-Christian behavior, it is a crime that was brushed off via caste system legal tactics.