freedom isn’t enough
But to walk and flourish in freedom.
An alcoholic can have 1000 days of being sober, and the next day freedom means nothing in front of an empty bottle. Freedom without the walk and flourish is like a man being released from prison only to relapse. To simply set a man free from a system of slavery, wipe your hands, pat yourself on the back and say “good job” – is not love.
The Good Samaritan doesn’t pass over the victimized man, but recognizes the trauma. He doesn’t simply say, “let me go get some help.” He takes care of the unjustly persecuted man man by tending to wounds and bringing him back into society. Freedom for the victim requires coming back into society.
To walk free requires reintegration.
The Good Samaritan goes another step. He pays the innkeeper without any desire for a return. He partners in the restoration of injustice by paying back even though he did not personally participate in the act of injustice. He understood this: that man is bound to every other man – for if one suffers, we all suffer.
This is love. For Christ was crucified and resurrected not that we might pay Him back, but because He loved us.
To flourish requires reparation.
(Source: biblegateway.com)