Culture WarsChikamu

Compassion

Have you ever heard the phrase, “There’s nothing new under the sun”? It’s especially true when it comes to combatting cultural differences. Jesus found Himself in the middle of a culture war during His life. He experienced racial tension, political division, and religious discord everywhere He went. But rather than choosing sides, Jesus chose a radical third option—one of compassion.

Over and over in the gospel accounts, you will find the phrase, “He was moved with compassion for them.” There’s one particular story that stands out. In Mark 1, Jesus encounters a leper who asks to be healed. Leprosy was the original cancel culture. People with leprosy were boycotted in a very public way because they were believed to be cursed by God. And to add insult to injury, they weren’t allowed to have physical contact with anyone out of fear that the disease would spread. Face to face with a leper, Jesus wasn’t motivated by possible cultural and religious consequences. He was moved with compassion and reached out His hand to touch and heal the leper. 

This is Jesus. He was willing to risk the awkwardness to help those in need. He was willing to break social norms to show the depth of love and hope He offers. In compassion, Jesus moved past all the taboos created by people. Jesus didn’t have to touch the leper to heal Him. I believe He touched Him to show us that compassion doesn’t run away from others. Compassion reaches out to touch what others would avoid.

Compassion is our best bet if we want to declare a ceasefire on the culture wars happening around us. And you can’t show compassion from a distance. Let’s choose to follow Jesus’ example of compassion, reaching out to initiate love in places and situations we may be tempted to avoid.