In attempting to formulate an ethical Christian attitude toward
homosexuality, those who identify themselves as Christians may wish to
follow
the example of Christ himself. References to homosexual behavior are
rare in
scripture, and nothing at all has been recorded as having come from
Jesus as
a specific instruction on the topic, yet ethical teachings do abound in
the Jesus traditions that provide ample guidance for Christians today.
Above all else for Christians should stand what is known as the Great
Commandment, recorded in all three of the synoptic gospels. In order
to
assess the authenticity of this central teaching we should bear in mind
that
it does appear in three different versions which arose in different
times out
of different communities. Moreover, it is remarkably consistent from
one
version to the next. This must lend weight to the commandment as being
an
authentic reflection of the teachings of Jesus himself. Possibly one
of the
most intriguing aspects of the commandment is the way Jesus makes use
of the
Jewish tradition of his day.
As a teacher, Jesus is deeply grounded in the Law, yet he also appears
to be
free to adapt it to suit his purposes, when he feels it is inadequate
to
express the radical new message he has been sent to impart. In this
case he
takes two important teachings from the books of Moses and combines them
in a
fresh and exciting way to create a new synthesis. For generations,
since the
time of the Babylonian exile and possibly since the Exodus itself, the
people
of Israel had been taught to love their God with all their heart, with
all
their soul and with all their might. These words were repeated at
every
Jewish service as having come directly from the mouth of God to Moses
on
Mount Sinai. They appear in Deuteronomy just after the Ten
Commandments and
represent a summation of all of the detailed prescriptions by which
God's
people are to live.
The innovation which establishes Jesus as a creative and radical
messenger is
to marry this central teaching to another from Leviticus. From amidst
a
varied collection of many specific examples of how observant Jews are
to
treat one another, Jesus lifts one small verse that typifies and
distills all
the rest: you shall love your neighbor as yourself. All of the other
verses
that surround this one, against lying, cheating, stealing and
defrauding, are
simply further articulations of this one attitude that should inform
our
relations with one another. So far we have seen that in synthesizing
the
Great Commandment Jesus has remained consistent with the most basic
values of
the Jewish heritage, yet he shows remarkable freedom in adapting them
to suit
his purposes. The Great Commandment appears to fulfill some of the
most
important criteria for judging the authenticity of scriptural
references: it
is well attested in multiple citations; it is consistent with other
teachings; and it is distinctive enough to represent a new and unique
departure, setting it aside from the cultural context in which it
arises.
There can be little doubt that Jesus desires us above all else to love
one
another, which would include gay and lesbian people, or that his
example
gives us license to adapt the Levitical Holiness Code with a certain
freedom
in response to changing circumstances. Let us examine briefly, for
instance,
the other items he chooses to omit in his distillation of the Law.
When
Jesus tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves he is lifting up a
scripture
which appears shortly after the injunction against lying with a male as
with
a woman. This occurs in the midst of one version of the commandments
which
are elsewhere coalesced as the Decalogue we know today, which some
religious
leaders are now suggesting should be posted in our schools and
legislative
offices. Yet the very next verse is indicative of the mind set which
Jesus
urges us to leave behind: you shall not let your animals breed with a
different kind; you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed;
nor
shall you put on a garment made of two different materials (Leviticus
19:19, NRSV).
All of these laws are concerned with keeping everything in its proper
place
in a fixed and static universe, created in six days in accordance with
God's
eternal will. We must recall at this juncture that these strictures
were
compiled by a priestly cadre with the purpose of promoting a theocratic
government based on a hierarchical system of authority. It is to be
expected
that such an agenda should produce a body of law that would emphasize
order,
discipline and obedience, but it is this very system that Jesus comes
to
overturn in proclaiming the Reign of God. His purpose in reformulating
a law
based on love for one another is to reform a religion he sees as badly
straying from its own core values. Does God really care how you breed
your
livestock or what garments you wear? Jesus suggests that what really
matters
in God's Realm is that you treat one another with dignity and respect.
In
criticizing the religious establishment of his day as a believing Jew,
Jesus
gives us a model for faithful dissent which calls upon us to apply our
own
conscience in adopting a stance of loving critique toward oppressive
official
structures today.
The cleansing of the Temple in which Jesus overturns the tables of the
moneychangers is perhaps the most dramatic instance of his attempt to
institute a new order. This incident, which also appears in all three
of the
synoptic gospels, has become emblematic of Jesus' attitude toward the
authorities of his day. Again we find that temporal and religious
practices
are subject to review and change in accordance with God's will for a
just
society. Both Mark and Matthew, the earliest versions, place this
incident
shortly before the Great Commandment is given. Clearly injustice and
unfair
dealing are to be condemned and (literally) overthrown wherever they
appear,
even within the precincts of the Temple itself. It has been said that
the
poor and those unable to afford the two shekels necessary for the
purchase of
the turtle doves used for sacrifice were unfairly excluded from
practicing
their religion. In driving out the moneychangers, Jesus was condemning
a
practice which prevented one group from seeking communion with God.
This
would appear to be an indictment of those who are trying today to place
restrictions on who is worthy to participate in worship: then, and now.
In the fourth gospel, which appears to have arisen out of a very
different
community, the equivalent commandment is related in a strikingly
different
context, although for all the differences its core message is
remarkably
similar. Here the break with Jewish teaching is even more pronounced
and we
receive what is presented as an altogether new commandment. In keeping
with
its later date and strongly separatist tendencies, it is apparent that
the
Johannine community sees itself as markedly distinct from its Judean
surroundings.
Unlike the earlier versions which were at pains to stress the
continuity and
compatibility of Christian and Jewish lore, this fourth gospel
emphasizes the
newness and exclusivity of the Johannine Christian message. So Jesus'
commandment in John 13:34 is simply that we should love one another.
He goes
on to specify that we should love one another just as he has loved us,
and
puts a specific emphasis on the fact that everyone will know that we
are his
disciples by the way we love each other.
Instead of emerging as part of a Socratic or rabbinical question and
answer
reflecting the Hellenistic style of inquiry as the other versions of
the
Great Commandment do, this one appears as part of Jesus' farewell
discourse
in John's gospel and thus has a more purely revelatory character in
keeping
with the higher Christology of the Johannine group. Before looking at
the
ways that Jesus loves people for guidance in how we should love one
another,
it may be helpful to draw attention to its immediate surroundings. The
disciple whom Jesus loved is depicted as reclining next to him or
against his
breast in a position of particular favor. In this intimate posture,
Jesus
announces that he is with them only a little longer, "as I said to the
Jews"
(John 13:33).
It is the prophetic actions of Jesus in the gospel accounts that send
the
loudest message about how we are called to work for the realization of
God's
Realm, which may be summarized as a marriage of outspoken criticism for
unjust institutions with outreach to those who are marginalized,
excluded or
rendered voiceless by them. Here in John's gospel the most
characteristic
incidence of this approach may well be the woman caught in adultery in
Chapter Eight. Although it does not appear in the earliest
manuscripts, this
episode was considered characteristic enough of Jesus' teachings as a
whole
to be included in later versions. It is of particular interest to us
because
it deals with what was at the time considered a sexual sin.
Here again Jesus demonstrates that he is free to change and adapt the
Law of
Moses. Rather than carry out the prescribed sentence of stoning as the
righteous authorities might wish, he suggests instead that the one
among them
who is without sin should cast the first stone. A new order is
proclaimed by
Jesus in standing up for the victim of hypocritical condemnation in
sexual
matters. This teaching was so threatening to the oppressive social
norms of
the day that it was not even included in the earliest manuscripts, but
the
tradition of prophetic social criticism surrounding Jesus was so strong
that
it could not be suppressed and was later included.
Time and again we see Jesus reaching out to reclaim those who have been
excluded by society, through his reconciling and healing ministry. If
those
who claim that homosexuality is a sin can take instruction from his
treatment
of the woman taken in adultery, perhaps those who suggest that is an
illness
may attend to his treatment of the Gerasene demoniac. The usual
treatment
for those who were perceived as different at that time was simply to
exclude
them from society. The people of God were to be pure and any
imperfection
was dealt with by keeping it as far away as possible, much as some
people
would like to exclude gay and lesbian people from the church today.
Jesus
however has a different approach, going out of his way to heal these
rifts in
the social fabric and bring people back into the community. In the
country
of the Gerasenes or Gadarenes, a man who was mentally ill had been
outcast
and was living among the tombs, a danger to himself and others due to
his
condition. Jesus was not deterred by this and healed the man,
restoring him
to society and making him once again capable of human contact. This
simple
act of compassion was so frightening to the inhabitants that they
begged him
to go away. His radical acts of inclusion were threatening to
destabilize
the fabric of society, the same dissolution that some people fear would
result from the full inclusion of gay and lesbian people today.
Lepers, paralytics, the handicapped and unclean all benefit from Jesus'
conception of how we are called to love one another and are restored to
society from being marginalized and excluded. Even on the Sabbath he
performs his acts of healing reconciliation. Could we not love one
another
as he has loved us and include sexual minorities in our own Sabbath
observances? By eating with tax collectors and sinners, Jesus is
showing us
how we are to live and love one another. It should be clear that the
laws
which were considered binding about who is socially acceptable were to
be
discarded if they served to punish or exclude a particular group.
Women,
children, foreigners and other marginalized groups are singled out for
particular favor by Jesus; time and again we see him making a special
effort
to demonstrate how the weak and disadvantaged should be treated.
I thank God I'm gay, these days, because I participate in all kinds of
oppression without being aware of it. A very wise person once taught
me that
those who are privileged don't even have to see the ways they benefit
from
the suffering of others, they don't need to notice. Only those who
encounter
discrimination every day, who have it thrust in their face that they
are less
than, not as good, are forced to live with that pain. I take all
kinds of
privilege for granted and normally wouldn't realize that most of us are
not
so fortunate. So my position as a member of a sexual minority is a
great
gift, really, because it gives me access to the experience of
exclusion, lets
me feel the hostility and disapproval because of a basic part of who I
am,
that I would not otherwise know. And that makes me more compassionate
and
more committed to justice for everyone.
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Other Articles By David Mundy:
On Becoming A Conscious Instrument of God's Will
Also In This Issue:
Take a Small Step
To Share the Good News
