I was sitting in my usual spot in the back of our church building we affectionately call “The Warehouse” watching the painfully honest, heart-wrenching videos several of our folks had agreed to film for this particular sermon series when I heard an older man a few rows over loudly whisper, “I’m glad that’s over.”
Everyone around me, myself included, bristled at the heartless comment.
Then, the next segment of the video started playing. The man in this video spoke about the trauma and struggles of his young life, the years he spent in prison, and the freedom, grace, and acceptance he found through Christ. In this particular segment, he was talking about how he felt welcomed and never judged in our church and how he could wear his hat without anyone saying anything.
Again, the old guy started grumble-whispering–this time about how much he hates hats.
I felt myself start to prickle.
This man on the big screen, my friend, was pouring out his heart–the good, the bad, and the ugly–speaking in an authentic and transparent way so many others are afraid to, and this old guy wanted to destroy my friend because he was wearing a hat.
I was righteously angry.
Motives Matter
We’re working through the book of Luke right now, and last week we talked about Jesus advocating for change and understanding the spirit of the law instead of simply enforcing the letter of the law when his disciples were picking and eating grain on a Sunday. Right after that story in chapter 6, Luke goes on to tell this one:
On another Sabbath, Jesus was teaching in the synagogue. In the room with him was a man with a deformed right hand. Everyone watched Jesus closely, especially the Jewish religious leaders and the religious scholars, to see if Jesus would heal on a Sabbath, for they were eager to find a reason to accuse him of breaking the Jewish laws.
Jesus, knowing their every thought, said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand here in the middle of the room.” So he got up and came forward.
Jesus said to all who were there, “Let me ask you a question. Which is better: to heal or to do harm on the Sabbath? I have come to save a life, but you have come to find a life to destroy.” Luke 6:6-9 TPT
If, like me, you grew up in the church, then you’ve probably heard these stories time and time again of how the Pharisees tried to trap Jesus, to set him up to break one of their laws so that they could destroy him and discredit him. The same is probably true for you and your understanding of the stories of Jesus and the disciples traveling to different places to teach, preach, and heal.
In all those years in church, I never thought about the collision of those two things and what that collision reveals about who the Pharisees were at their core and who Jesus was at his core.
Can you picture this scene?
Remember, Jesus was a Rabbi with authority–a man Jews would have flocked to hear preach, teach, and interpret scripture. At this point in his ministry, his reputation as a healer was also spreading.
On this particular Sabbath, Jesus was preaching in the synagogue where there was a man with a deformed hand and also the Pharisees who were watching Jesus closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath.
What a dichotomy–that gulf between the man who listens intently to hear, encounter, and learn from Christ and those Pharisees who listen intently to trap him.
I felt this same gulf that Sunday morning as I listened to my friend on the video talk about encountering Christ with his hat on while the old man was too busy grumbling to even recognize Christ in the room.
Both types of people are showing up to encounter Jesus, but the reasons they’re showing up are so incredibly different. I don’t know about you, but I want to be more like that guy who was there to encounter and be changed by Christ than the Pharisees who were just there to destroy Christ.
Saving Lives
When I heard that old man grumbling while my friend was pouring out his heart, I immediately became righteously angry and wanted to give that guy a piece of my mind. That makes me think about all the ways Jesus could have responded to the Pharisees who were silently grumbling and intently watching to try to trap him–how he could have easily allowed himself to get caught up in their petty thoughts and traps.
He doesn’t do that, though.
Instead of engaging in the game the Pharisees are playing, Jesus calls the man with the deformed hand to the front and poses the question to all who are listening as to what is better on the Sabbath–to heal or to do harm?
It’s what he says next that is so important here, and it’s something I think we easily forget. Jesus says “I have come to save a life, but you have come to find a life to destroy.”
I feel like I need to get that tattooed somewhere I can constantly see it.
“I have come to save a life, but you have come to find a life to destroy.”
The weight of that one statement can be life-changing if we choose to take it to heart.
I think about the grumbling old man in my church. His responses to those videos didn’t give life, they didn’t offer healing, and they definitely weren’t mirroring Christ. His grumbling was destructive, it was hurtful, and it had the potential to make those folks who were pouring out their hearts in those videos never want to put themselves out there again.
I know because it was my video that he first grumbled about.
I know because I saw the hurt and look of defeat on my friend’s face when I talked to him about it at the end of the service.
“I have come to save a life, but you have come to find a life to destroy.”
Prioritizing Kindness and Action
I wish my gut reaction was always kindness. It isn’t. Too many times, my gut reaction is snark, sarcasm, or passive-aggressive comments. It’s so easy for me to forget that my words and actions have the potential to either heal or destroy. If I truly want to think about what Jesus would do to guide my actions, then I have to remember that Jesus came to give life. And, I should be doing that same thing.
We should be doing the same thing.
Everywhere.
And with everyone.
Our world does not prioritize kindness and action as a whole, does it? And, how often do we as Christ-followers, churches, and faith communities find ourselves traveling down that same path? It’s so easy for us to turn a blind eye to the destruction that is happening around us, isn’t it?
We avoid the parts of town where the homeless camps are.
We don’t engage in discussion with or about our LGBTQ+ neighbors.
We don’t post the memes about “building a bigger wall.”
We preach pro-life, but we don’t do anything to help those lives once they come into the world.
We give our tithes and let our churches support “mission work.”
“I have come to save a life, but you have come to find a life to destroy.”
How easy would it have been for Jesus to simply teach in the synagogue that Sabbath without engaging at all with that man with the deformed hand?
He could have simply taught the lesson he was planning and gone on with his normal routine.
He didn’t do that, though, because he came to save lives, to heal the broken, and to give hope to the broken-hearted.
It takes kindness, empathy, awareness, and action to do that.
Too often, I think we get caught up in thinking that grand gestures are more important than our everyday actions and interactions. I think back to that Sunday with that grumbling old man, and I can’t help but think about how much of a difference he could have made if he practiced a little kindness and empathy, if he had sought out my friend in his hat and thanked him for his testimony instead of judging him. It might not seem like much, but that little bit of encouragement would have gone such a long way.
It’s time we start to think about the impact our words and actions have in our everyday lives. It’s time we think about kindness, empathy, awareness, and action so we can be like Jesus and save lives instead of destroying them.
“I have come to save a life, but you have come to find a life to destroy.”
Reflections:
What are the situations that cause you to be negative or grumble like that old man in my church?
What are some small ways you can have an impact on the people you encounter in your everyday life?
What situations/people do you need to work harder at demonstrating kindness and empathy?
Thank you for sharing such a powerful reflection. Your experience highlights the importance of kindness and empathy in our interactions, mirroring the compassionate nature of Jesus. It's a reminder that our words and actions have the power to either heal or destroy. May we all strive to prioritize kindness and action in our everyday lives, following the example of Christ who came to save lives.