Or as Orwell said "All animals are equal but some are more equal than others."
Take church for example, members who are Temple worthy are therefore deemed to be better people than those who don't follow the word of wisdom, or who have tattoos, or who don't follow the BYU grooming standards, and especially women who show off their shoulders(gasp!)
Those who drink or smoke are second class members. But Jesus spent His ministry with the second class sinners of every kind. Why do we as a church, as a culture and as a people hold to the view of the Pharisees rather than the inclusive ethos of Christ?
Simon and Judas were Zealots. They intended to earn Judeas independence by any means necessary and often Zealots assassinated those they felt stood in the ways of their goals.
Many of the 12 were fishermen, humble yet noble working class men.
Matthew was a tax collector. Called Publicans in scripture these men were hated for stealing from their own people to enrich the Romans.
Since we find ourselves on the topic of tax collectors I want to share this parable of Christ about the Pharisee and the tax collector:
10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. Luke 18:10-14 kjv
I have to wonder if the Apostle Matthew was the nameless Publican.
How much did the Pharisee value (Matthew?) the Publican? How much did the Pharisee value himself? How much did the Publican value God? And how much did God value the Publican?
The lesson, at least for me, is that you can pray and fast and adhere to all the outward and arguably superficial signs of righteousness and still miss the entire point of the Gospel.
Because The Kingdom of God is within us. It is not what goes into our lungs or our mouths that defiles is, it's what comes out of our mouths, what comes out of our hearts that defiles us.
We can check off the boxes of commandments and still fail to be a good person even if we look the part that does not mean in any way that we can act the part.
Jesus showed compassion, respect and understanding to those who were deemed worthless or worth less than the rest by His society. He valued us all so much that He was willing to leave the 99 to find the one who was lost.
Jesus didn't require that you be a good person or be the elite of your society or church to be saved. Jesus felt that so long as we are children of God, part of Gods creation, but more than that-part of God Himself, that we deserved His love and respect.
The ethos that some lives matter less was never a part of His Gospel. In fact His Gospel message is founded on the ethos that every life matters. That every life is sacred. Jesus fed the hungry and ministered to the poor, He saved the adulteress from death and spoke to and ministered to not only Samaritan but a Samaritan woman which defied cultural laws.
Can any of us imagine any modern Apostles ministering in that way? Ministering as Jesus Himself and His Apostles did?
Meaning can we imagine them ministering themselves rather than sending out their minions to do so for them?
Jesus asked that we visit the sick, visit the prisoner, feed the hungry and clothe the naked. He did not ask if we gave money or sent out someone else to have them minister to others on our behalf. Christ is asking us personally to do these things.
We don't have to quit our day jobs to do these things because the smallest thing can yield the most amazing results.
Jesus never said any life mattered less. Jesus loved and cherished every life He met. He never met a prostitue, or an adulterer or adulteress, or a murderer or any other kind of sinner. All He met were flawed but divinely created children of God, made in His image. And struggling through a hard life as best they can.
How can we claim to be disciples of Christ if we devalue the lives of those we disapprove of? How can we recognize the divine qualities in others if we insist that some lives don't matter? Like the lives of black people or "burger flippers." Or waitresses or waiters? Or women? Or whoever? This ethos is the antithesis of the Gospel message.
You don't determine my value as I do not determine yours, only God can do that. And God does not make mistakes or counterfeit product. We are more than part of His creation, we are His children.
