Being Christian in Society: Meeting on the Right Level

I was driving home yesterday from helping my brother move. On the way home, I turned on the radio to the local Christian station. As I listened in, I realized I was listening into a rare conversation - I felt like I walk into a funeral laughing. The program, which I failed to remember the name of and failed to find on the internet, was talking about homosexuality and how to deal with it. A guest "specialist" was on the air talking to a brave young women defending the right of a homosexual to live out their desires. What I found was a college girl who was more emotionally invested than intellectually, and a specialist who was more intellectually invested than emotionally. They weren't clicking. The young girl was saying how love should be respected and the specialist was saying how love is not the only thing at play here (which the specialist is right), and homosexuals are the main cause of HIV and so on (sounded like the specialist was saying over and over, "They are disease carriers!" The specialist did not say such a thing, but it came off this way).

This is the problem I find myself in often. I will talk to others about certain issues and become so intellectually invested that the emotional aspect of the issue goes out the window. I would say this is the problem for many Christian "specialists". There are also Christian generalists who usually turn out to be more emotionally invested in these issues.

It is the same for secularists too. The girl who bravely called into the radio station was emotionally invested and intellectually lacking. She was not dumb by any means, but she let her emotions dictate her thoughts. She was so focused on the idea of love prevailing and not being hindered that she failed to see, among other things, that good intentions do not always lead to good actions.

In John 8, Jesus was confronted by an issue. The Pharisees had brought a women to Him who had committed adultery. The law in Leviticus clearly states that this act deserves a stoning to death. As we read we find Jesus deals with the Pharisees upon which the grounds they raised the issue: intellectual and judicial grounds. "He who has no sin may throw the first stone," is all Jesus said to them. Jesus set a greater trap than they set for Him since those who judge others shall be judged. To the women, Jesus came to her at the level she was concerned with: the emotional. She knew her sin, and she knew her condemnation. What Jesus did was lift the condemnation from her emotionally and literally. "Women, where are they? Does no one condemn you?. . . Than neither do I condemn you. Go and leave your life of sin." Not only do we see the grace that was the fulfillment of the law, but we also see Jesus meeting and coming down to her level of emotion. "Where are they? Has no one condemned you?" Is the essence of Jesus coming down to meet us at our needs emotionally.

This the encouragement of having such an example in Jesus! When we find ourselves as believers in these tough issues, we must always remember to meet the other at the level they are at either intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, or physically. When someone is coming at you with emotional appeal we must meet that appeal and not move to a different level such as the intellectual. Let us learn from Jesus on how to live within our world in a Spirit-filled way!