EARS TO HEAR
/I NOW SHARE SOMETHING in common with Malchus, Evander, Vincent and Donald.
Like Vincent; unlike the others, my wound is sort of self-inflicted. But still I understand our common wound at a deeper level. Malchus, Evander and Donald, you might say were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it." --Atticus Finch
I hope you've had the blessing of reading Harper Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird" or seen the film adaptation starring Gregory Peck. The quote is from a life lesson that Atticus is teaching his young daughter, Scout. It's an important lesson.
It's about empathy. That's right; I said it! EMPATHY! There, I said it in ALL CAPS and I punched the keys hard when I typed it.
Have you heard the latest load of steaming, stinking arrogance coming out of the far right white evangelical camp? That "Empathy Is Sin". They even have a manual for this distorted worldview--a new book called--without nuance or apology--"The Sin of Empathy", written by a guy named Joe Rigney who apparently somehow has become an expert on the relationship between God and us humans without ever experiencing mercy and/or grace, or without understanding that the model Jesus set for us in living in humility; and that empathy, compassion and unconditional love spring out of that humility. The premise seems to be that if one shows empathy, they are weak and condoning of sin. Not sure what they do with that Good Samaritin story Jesus left us with.
I'm not a theologian or one to toss around scripture like I might know what I'm talking about, but consider this from the second chapter of Philipians:
If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care—then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.
Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.
When it comes to humility I'm a beginner. That sounds a lot better than someone saying, "when it comes to humility I'm the greatest ever." You would think that at my age I would be better, but empathy is hard. I don't know much but I know this: for these zealots to contort something as beautiful as empathy into something as vile as a false supremacy and self-righteousness is to turn apathy into a virtue. In that beautiful metaphor that Atticus taught to Scout, being able to walk around awhile in someone else's skin takes a lot of humility and vulnerability, and yes, empathy. Apparently now though it's being seen as something horrible and weak and "woke". BTW, I have absolutely no empathy for the un-woke, nor do I have any desire to feel what they feel. That's how bad I am at this whole deal.
Because empathy requires a sense of shared experience, I can't empathize with those folks. I grew up learning to follow a God that SO loved the whole of humankind that He gave and gave and gave and gives and gives. Didn't the fact that the "Word became Flesh and dwelt among us" make the metaphor of walking around in someone else's skin literally real and alive?
So, back to my story of shared experience with what I'm calling the Clan of the Mangled Ear. In chronological order let's start with Malchus. Remember he was the servant of the high priest who had his ear cut off by Simon Peter during the encounter with Judas and Jesus in the garden.
"Just then Simon Peter, who was carrying a sword, pulled it from its sheath and struck the Chief Priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. Malchus was the servant’s name.
"Jesus ordered Peter, “Put back your sword. Do you think for a minute I’m not going to drink this cup the Father gave me?” (John 18)
Next up: Vincent van Gogh, who reportedly cut off his own left ear when tempers flared with Paul Gauguin, the artist with whom he had been working. Van Gogh’s mental illness revealed itself: he began to hallucinate and suffered attacks in which he lost consciousness. During one of these attacks, he used the knife. He could later recall nothing about the event.
Some are old enough to remember Mike Tyson biting off part of Evander Holyfield's ear during a boxing match. My empathy can only extend so far.
By now, we all know the story of Donald Trump's close call when an assassin's bullet nicked his ear.
And finally, Old Pops here. I'm writing this all bandaged up like Van gogh with 30 some stitches in my right ear following a successful surgery to remove the "good" kind of cancer--apparently the outcome from many summers spent in the swimming pool and on the tennis courts without a hat or this new-fangled stuff called sunscreen.
I've learned a little something about the ear: not much skin there but they bleed like a stuck pig. Also, they are great for hearing and listening which comes in real handy when using our God-given ability for empathy. As with each new experience, my capacity for empathy has grown a bit. And, funny thing; it doesn't feel sinful at all.
