I'm With Them
Not long ago I was sitting in a crowd listening to a pastor speak. Each word that came out of his mouth held the attention of everyone. He then made a joke that sent the room into an uproar, but I didn’t laugh.
It’s not that I don’t have a sense of humor. I do, which is why I laugh at myself all the time. It’s that his joke was horribly unkind and was open mockery of a person who is a friend of mine. I do not remember what he said the rest of the time as I sat contemplating whether I would say something to him.
When he was done I decided to do approach him. We met, exchanged hellos, and then I said, “So-and-so is a friend of mine and is one of the people who influenced my being in ministry.”
This eloquent speaker stammered and stuttered as he tried to explain himself. It was painfully obvious that he wanted to be anywhere but right there.
What is interesting is that I did not accuse him of being unkind, nor did I tell him that his comment was a horrendous lack of judgment. All I did was identify myself with the person he mocked. There is tremendous power when we identify with another person.
One does not have to say anything more than “that’s my friend” or “that’s my sister.” Suddenly, if a person has been speaking ill of the other feels threatened or attacked. It works the other way too. A total stranger could say, “Your brother and I are great friends!” There is a sudden connection.
Throughout the Gospels there is constant identification happening in the person of Jesus. He does not identify with the powerful, but goes out of his way to be “one of them.” He eats with sinners, whores, drunkards, and tax collectors – people who were the undesirables. These meals were deeply connecting. By eating with them, Jesus told everyone, “I am with them and one of them.”
In Matthew 25 Jesus tells a story of those who cared for the hungry, the thirsty, the immigrants, the sick, those who can’t afford clothing, and those who’ve been locked up in prison. He says, “… whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
These people, at the bottom of the societal heap, are not only the brothers and sisters of Jesus. He is one of them. I wonder if his identification with them would still make some uncomfortable today?
When was the last time you heard an unkind comment made about an immigrant or a presumptive comment about the poor? For me, it was just a few weeks ago. The reality is these are Jesus’ siblings and, if you call yourself a follower of Jesus, they are yours too.
I often wonder how our world would begin to change if we saw “one of them” as “one of us.” It would surely change our conversations, but more importantly it would change our actions. We would have a greater sense of urgency in acting on behalf of the marginalized and vulnerable in our world. After all, they’re family, right?