If you see your fellow Israelite’s ox or sheep straying, do not ignore it but be sure to take it back to its owner. – Deuteronomy 22:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 15, 2018): Deuteronomy 22

Early in the morning of March 13, 1964, Kitty Genovese was raped and murdered outside of her place of residence in New York City. Two weeks later, The New York Times released an article that claimed that there were at least thirty-eight witnesses who had either watched the attack take place or heard the noise created by the attack, and yet none of them came to her aid, or even bothered to call the police. In sociopsychological circles, this “Genovese Effect” is called a “Diffusion of Responsibility.” The idea is that when there are many witnesses, we tend to think that someone else will make the call. And so we shrink back and hide, allowing the mysterious and elusive other to come to the aid of the person or make that call to the police.

We have all taken part in the sociopsychological phenomenon. Have you ever been on a busy highway and encountered a traveler in trouble? Often our reaction is to shrink back and hide, with the sure knowledge that someone else will stop and come to the aid of the one in trouble. While the murder of a young lady in New York is not equal to an elderly couple stuck on a major highway with a flat tire on the way to their holiday celebrations in the severity of the outcome, the underlying reasons for the noninterference are the same.    

Moses instruction to Israel here takes direct aim at the sociopsychological phenomenon of “Diffusion of Responsibility” or what we who live after the rape and murder of Kitty Genovese might refer to as the “Genovese Effect.” It doesn’t matter how big or small the situation might be; we are not to be the ones who fade into the background and leave the action to someone else. If you see your neighbor’s ox or sheep somewhere where they shouldn’t be, don’t hide or pretend that you are unaware. Step up and take control of the situation and return their property to them. No situation is too small, or too large, to override your responsibility to care for your neighbor and the property of your neighbor.

Jesus would reaffirm this command with his parable of the Good Samaritan, and in doing so would also define the question of the identity of our neighbor. For Kitty Genovese, the ones who witnessed her murder were those who lived close by to Kitty in the neighborhood of Queens, New York. For Moses, it is your brother who lives next door, or maybe a little further away (Deuteronomy 22:2). Even your lack of knowledge of the person does not excuse you from taking action. But Jesus took it a step further and argued that if the person crosses your path, then they are your neighbor. They may not look like you or believe what you believe, but that does not matter. They are your responsibility. And it also does not matter if it is their person who is under attack or just a loss of property. Those who believe in God will not hide; we will step up and take responsibility whenever trouble of any kind arises within our circle of influence.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 23