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Op Ed Article
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Op Ed “Would Jesus Discriminate?”

by Rev. Nancy L. Wilson
Moderator

February 2008

When my partner’s mother first learned her daughter was a lesbian, and that I was a minister in Metropolitan Community Churches, she was devastated and confused. But one thing she knew, and said, not without some considerable irritation, “Well, yes, of course Jesus didn’t say anything bad about homosexuality -- he is always so forgiving and easy about that kind of thing!”  Isn’t that just like Jesus to be soft on “sinners!” How annoying!

At the time, thirty years ago, it was a light moment in a difficult series of conversations. But what it pointed out is that those of us who grew up hearing the stories of Jesus are pretty sure he was about love and acceptance and healing; and on the side of the underdog. It would be just like him not to be as hard on homosexuals as many religious folks seem to be.

Georgia Harkness, one of my favorite theologians, said a long time ago, “It is easier to praise Jesus than to follow him.” Christians love Jesus, but we sometimes have a hard time following. We get irritated with who he loved. His behavior towards those labeled “sinners” was troubling: he ate and drank with them, invited himself into their homes, saved them from stoning by good, religious people.

Today, good, religious people in our country think nothing of saying harsh words and voting for laws that punish undocumented workers. Never mind that in ten years our shrinking labor pool will be desperate for workers of any race or national origin. The inhospitality (a major Biblical sin!) visited on the poorest, and often hardest working people is unworthy of people who claim “Christ.” But it is Christians who are often seduced by the panic about “securing our border” to the south, even though our border to the north is a lot longer and less secure.  It is hard to think of Jesus in our context and not imagine him hanging out at the day laborer location, sharing coffee and conversation.

I have a friend, a lesbian social worker, who has a secret side vocation working to help undocumented people get to safety from a border town. Her eyes burn bright as she tells the harrowing stories of people she has saved from cold and heat, hunger and certain death, people “for whom Christ died.” But, don’t you know, as Lou Dobbs shrilly points out, they are breaking the law! Somewhere, deep within us, we know that Jesus doesn’t give a damn about that. He only sees their suffering -- partly caused by a NAFTA agreement that has nearly destroyed the farm economy of Mexico, driving more people north to survive.

Jesus was more critical of religious folks, their rigidity, lack of forgiveness, and hypocrisy, that he was of those accused of breaking laws, including alleged sexual misconduct, according to the rules of the day. This attitude of Jesus really disturbs us, like his admonition to “turn the other cheek” towards an enemy. It does not square with how we feel, how we often live and act, and reduces us to rationalizations.

We marginalize and trivialize Jesus, saying, “Well, after all, he was God, and we are not.” Except, of course, that Jesus expected us to follow him, and believed we could do even greater things than he did. How irritating of Jesus to expect that of us!

Today, my mother-in-law lives near us and treats me as her daughter as well. She has many gay and lesbian friends, and has been willing to speak up when she hears people speaking in derogatory ways about our community. She just doesn’t put up with prejudice and discrimination anymore. She’s over it. I am sure she doesn’t remember the time when she was irritated with Jesus about his non-discriminating ways. 

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