Is Timothy Mellon Lovable?

Preparing a good message on a major biblical theme can at times feel like climbing Mount Everest. You may not look forward to Christmas and Easter as a preacher, because preparing those messages are hard. Folks already know the story. So it is with preaching on the second commandment. We talk about love quite a bit in our teachings. Loving our neighbor is the badge or the mark of the Christian. 

Chris Bassett is a facebook friend of mine. I was aiming the following post toward those who had not come to faith. Pastor Chris response was aimed at the tribalism he sees that has infected evangelicals. If he is on to something, this post just might inform your preaching the next time your subject is loving God and loving our neighbor, since the those two loves go hand in hand. The idea might be, “Jesus and the people who know him are anti-tribalist.”

Given much present day thinking, Timothy Mellon is a loathsome individual. He is a white, cisgender male. What’s more he is a billionaire, descending from one of America’s richest families? Topping all that off, he has been a staunch supporter of Donald Trump. With the critical appraisal of our day, Timothy Mellon is the epitome of white privilege, and white supremacy. He is an oppressor of blacks, the LGBTQ+ community, women, and the poor. Topping all that off, He is a racist who oppresses undocumented immigrants. Can anyone possibly love Mellon, a card carrying member of Oppressors 24/7?

The Old Testament Scriptures signal another way regarding Mr. Mellon. I Samuel 16;7 says  “Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.” Within that very loaded verse is the notion that God looks at the heart of each one of us. Without exception, we are made in His image. That truth alone strikes a mortal blow to tribalism.

The ideal of anti-tribalism is brought into the full light of God’s grace in the New Testament. ”For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:26-28. The way of Jesus leaves absolutely no room for tribal attitudes. God looks past our ethnicity, our socioeconomic status, and our gender. We are not just His image bearers who have dignity and high value. Christ followers ere redeemed and set free by Jesus, the giver of endless resurrection life.

Who was the first tribalist? Tribalism began just east of Eden. Cain, the first born son on planet earth, came to see his younger brother as his oppressor. His expectation was that for the rest of his natural life, Abel would be an oppressive thorn in his side. So he took decisive and ultimate action to rid himself of his oppressor. Could it be that the spirit of tribalism is behind so much of the hatred and violence we see today? The lesson of Cain is that those enslaved to tribalism will not do well.

So a bottom line is seeing Timothy Mellon as my neighbor. He is an image bearer with dignity and high value. The gospel is for Mellon, just like the gospel if for me. But hold on. Wait just a minute. Timothy Mellon is pretty much like me. For I am a white, cisgender male. And I am also rich. Not a billionaire like Mr. Mellon, but I have way more of this world’s goods than the average image bearer. And topping it all off, I supported Donald Trump in the last two elections. Timothy Mellon and I are of the same tribe.

So the real bottom line question is, Do I regard as my neighbor those who are not like me?

What is my attitude and regard for someone who from a human standpoint my opposite? How do I regard someone who is a black, gay and female, poor, and voted for Joe Biden? If I do not have the same regard for this image bearer of high value, then I am bound by the same thinking as Cain. Jesus came to forgive me and to transform my way of thinking.

In John 7:37-38, Jesus said,“If any man is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, from his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.” Drinking from the inexhaustible fountain of water that is Jesus is the way that I can love my neighbor. How about you?