First, he sent me a text message:  “Need your opinion!!! Holla.” The text message came from the Duke of Earl, who was my bodyguard from my ministry days on the streets of Long Beach, who by the way, happens to be black.  So I called him today when I had the chance.   ‘Got your text … what’s up?’ I asked.  ‘I want your opinion about what is going on in Charleston.’  ‘My opinion?’  I queried, thinking how can anyone have a difference of opinion on the sheer evil that was demonstrated? ‘Yeah, like what do you think of this white kid who shot up the black church and is now in jail?’  ‘Well, I think he is sick—I feel a kind of pity for him that actually wells up in my throat.’  ‘I don’t feel pity for him,’ he spat back, ‘not at all’.

Duke went on to tell me how the Charleston shootings looked and felt to him. ‘Did you see the picture of the church people?’ he asked me.  'You know, the women in their hats and all that?’  ‘Yeah, I did… I watched the Sunday morning worship service.’  ‘Well that was my mother, those were my aunties . . . do you get it?!’ he asked, and as he talked, his voice grew louder and louder.  ‘That is the church I grew up in, only in Chicago.’  (the African Methodist Episcopal Church)

The Duke proceeded to tell me how people (including politicians in the last week) have said all the right things, but failed to act.  ‘I was watching as that pastor, that senator’s casket passed by the South Carolina statehouse today, underneath the flying Confederate flag… are you kidding me?!  That kid had the courage to go in and kill people for his beliefs, yet no black men are tearing that flag from the pole?’  [I took exception to his use of the word ‘courageous’; it is not courageous to shoot unarmed people who are defenseless.]

‘But as for his other comments?  I get it.   See, folks can say all the right things, they can take the microphone and get folks stirred up with emotion, but can they DO the right thing?  Do they do the courageous thing?  Do they walk their own talk?

Let’s look at Jesus for example.  Jesus has just preached a long message about love—the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 – 7), about how we ought to be daily living out our lives as Christians, about the power of our individual prayers and not judging others.  Yes, all of that, and more.  And then, Matthew records . . .

“When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”¹

Jesus should have immediately distanced himself from the leper.  There were pages of Old Testament laws regarding the handling/managing of lepers, which Jesus knew well—as did the leper—lepers were actually considered dead.  Today we really cannot make any comparison in our society of the leper in the Jewish community.  In the ancient world, leprosy was the worst of all diseases.  The leper had to separate himself out, and cry out ‘Unclean!’¹ when near other people, he knew to steer clear of crowds, of religious settings and people, and yet this guy, came and fell at Jesus’ feet--

Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”²

Imagine the scene if you can.  There is a crowd following Jesus, but out from the crowd, a single man breaks away and runs up to Jesus.  A leper.  I can’t imagine what the ceremonial process with the rabbi would have been like, and eventual cleansing, but Jesus, the teacher, Jesus the Rabbi was willing to step forward to receive the advances of a leper—a ceremonially unclean person who reached out to him for healing?  No big deal to you…but the representation of all that he had taught, all that we need to know for our lives, that is what he demonstrated to the leper. 

Compassion beyond words. 

  Practice what we preach.

    Walk our talk.

      When in doubt, lead with empathy.

         Have no concern about what others may say, 

              just do what is right.

Just act … like Jesus. 

Christine

1 – Matthew 8.1-4

2 - Leviticus 13.49