Social Responsibility and Being Christlike

So a little while ago I was pondering what it means to be Christlike. It's something I ponder a lot, but during this time it was weighing a little more heavily on my mind. I suppose what prompted it was a Sunday School lesson (an hour of theological discussion and learning that occurs during my weekly church services) where we discussed the idea of social responsibility. For the sake of full disclosure, I will admit that I was in fact the teacher during this particular lesson.

The lesson covered Ezekiel 34 (among other chapters) wherein is a metaphor given by the Lord. The Lord talks of His people in terms of shepherds and sheep and seemingly blames the shepherds not only for their own actions (in not feeding the sheep) but also for the consequent actions of the sheep as well. He describes the sheep as being "scattered" (v. 12) which to me means that they have fallen away from the Lord's true gospel and teachings and have become worldly.

I found this story interesting, because the Lord never once blames the sheep for becoming scattered, yet surely people are responsible for their own actions. It makes me wonder, then, whether others can't also be (at least partially) responsible for one person's actions. Certainly United States law (and I imagine other countries' laws as well) take the actions of others into consideration, yet it has been my experience that many people (especially members of my church) believe very strong in the idea of personal responsibility and vehemently argue that the only person responsible for Person A's actions is Person A. I have to admit here that I have never been able to believe that, because I can't help but feel responsible when someone I know does something bad.

It was while thinking on this that I was reading an article that mentioned the fact that Christ took upon himself the sins of all other people. Then it hit me. Christ is quite literally the perfect example of social responsibility. He, the only sinless person to ever live, took upon himself the sins of every other person who has ever lived, who does live, and who will ever live. He endeavored with everything He was to make Himself responsible for all the bad things that anyone has ever done and will ever do. He said, "Let me be responsible for Person A's actions, not Person A." He was arguably the only person who has ever lived and will ever live who could truthfully say that He is not responsible for anyone else's failings. But He wants to be. The culminating act of His life was an attempt to make that statement untrue.

Which makes me think about people today, including myself. I personally am reticent to admit responsibility for another's actions. They're their own person and should be able to take care of themselves, right? (Don't get me wrong, I can't help but feel guilty, but that doesn't mean I like to. I have enough of my own problems that I don't really want to feel responsible for others' as well.) Yet if I am serious about being Christlike, and I certainly try to be, being responsible for others' actions (or at least striving to be) is exactly what I should be doing.

Living the Question

Rainer Maria Rilke once wrote, "I would like to beg you dear Sir, as well as I can, to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign langauge. Don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer."

I rather like this quote. Probably because it was shared with me shortly after I had come to the same conclusion. Living the question should be our goal, not living the answer. Which is a rather difficult thing to grasp. I still don't fully understand it and I've been trying to do it for a few years now. And yet I really think it's the way each person should live. Allow me to explain.

Each of us has family and friends, people we love. I imagine that most people believe in the idea that we should try and love all mankind, each and every person. Perhaps with the rare exception, such as Adolf Hitler or Osama bin Laden, but for the most part, we should love everyone.

How do we do this, however? There are many answers out there. The most common one is probably the well-known Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." A great sentiment. One that is common in my church is service. If we want to love someone, we should serve them. Another great sentiment. And there are many more out there.

But I can't help think that maybe in answering the question we've missed the mark. As we interact with another person, whether it be through talking or actions, we should not be thinking, "I must treat this person as I want to be treated." Instead, in my opinion at least, we should be thinking, "How can I best love this person?" A question should guide our actions, not an answer. If I'm a parent and my kid disobeys me, rather than deciding that either justice or mercy is the correct answer, I should ask myself, "What is the best course of action with this child in this situation?"

If we want to be the best person we can be, we must realize that each context, each set of circumstances, is different. And I don't know about you, but for me living the question is the only way I have even the slightest chance of doing something resembling the right thing.