Do people see the face of Jesus when they look at us?

As I have surveyed the landscape that is Facebook, I am struck by the memes that are being posted. Many are false and misleading about the migrants making their way north. While there is truth in some of the memes like the fact that the majority of the caravan seems to be men, there is a quantity of women and children in the caravan as well. Other memes state that the majority are terrorists, criminals or gangsters trying to make their way over the border. I’ve seen some post remarks like we should just club them as they cross, others state they hope the military will be authorized to shoot. The problem I am having with these statements are, they are being made by people who call themselves Christians. I am reminded what Mother Teresa once said, everything I wash a beggar’s feet, I look up and I see the face of my Lord. In other words, she sees Jesus in even the most unclean people. All I can think about is the Good Samaritan. I ask, who are we? Are we the Priest or the Levit who circumvent the unclean man or are we like the Good Samaritan, recognizing our neighbor and caring for them? As a disclaimer, I state, I am for a secured border, for the insanity of these caravans to stop, for our immigration system to be fixed. However, I am also worried, are we reflecting our faith, Jesus? Who do those migrants see when they look in our face? We all know this parable, but what I am finding is that people do not fully understand the meaning of it. In short, lets take a look. The man who is robbed and beaten is left unidentified, naked, it is hard to tell if he is a Jew, or a Samaritan. We see two men come by, both circumvent the half dead man. One is a priest, the other a Levite. The priest would suffer humiliation and be considered unclean if he defiled themselves by touching this person. The Levite might have been afraid, worried for his own safety. Either case, both are Jews, both intellectually know the law. Both could assume the beaten man could be a neighbor, but both leave him unattended. The Samaritan, Jews and Samaritans had great dislike for one another. Jews thought of Samaritans as half breeds, something unclean and not to be associated with let alone touched. The Samaritan breaks with all hatred, hostilities, cultural boundaries and renders aid to the beaten man. He puts him on his donkey, takes him to an inn, pays for his keep and even spends the night. Samaritans were also Jews and likewise followed certain laws. The Samaritan was equally at risk of being unclean as was the Priest. He could fall to the same thieves, yet he rendered aid. For this, Jesus asks the lawyer, which one is the neighbor, the Priest, Levite or the Samaritan? The lawyer rightfully answered, the Samaritan because he showed mercy. The question is, what is the moral of the story? The answer is simply, there are those who know the law and then those who follow the law. The difference between the head and the heart. Also, according to commentaries, the moral is, love has no boundaries, one even states no national boundaries. Another states no gender or racial boundaries. Jesus is the Samaritan, willing to approach and touch those who are unclean, willing to go to the outcast, the needy. The parable is about showing love to people who are not your family, nor living next door. It is showing the love of God to al who are in need, whoever they may be, wherever they are at. In the end, Jesus tells the lawyer, “Go and do likewise.” Show mercy to the down trodden, to the unclean of the earth.