The 1973 release of the album "Living in a Material World" musically portrayed a dilemma that George Harrison faced in living a spiritual life while experiencing the increasing material pressures of super stardom. It reminds me of the current dilemma faced by spiritual people in a material world dominated by physical and medical troubles and supposed solutions that exclude any spiritual thinking.
How do we communicate our Christian faith in a world that has shut spiritual people out of the conversation? Worldly people hold a perspective that Christians are people who are AGAINST everything, who have no real answers to contribute. But true believers are not by nature contrarians--they are actually looking to promote what is the most beneficial way of living, both for individuals and for the world, in this world and the next, by speaking from a higher plain.
But how do we first form our own convictions so we may inject something sensible into a convoluted narrative? The simplest way to do this is to balance everything with the person of Jesus. What would Jesus do? In the current tension between good people that is arising because of the fear of spreading Covid-19, is it helpful to imagine Jesus in our world today, or if you prefer, seeing a pandemic in Jesus' world 2000 years ago. Would Jesus wear a mask? Would Jesus social distance? What about hand washing? In the world of Jesus, medical science and religion had created very strict rules for those with leprosy. This was an incurable disease, and so every leper was in a permanent state of quarantine. They were required to cover their faces and isolate themselves from healthy people.
It was breaking social norms and the laws of Moses for the leper to come running toward Jesus, and fall at his feet. Yet, instead of being offended, Jesus commended his faith, embraced the leper, and the disease was healed. Then, amazingly, he instructed his disciples to follow his example. "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give." (Matthew 10:8)
So we see in the mind of Jesus there is no quarantine. He actually flips our thinking by helping us understand that in the Kingdom of God, it would be disobedience NOT to approach the leper and offer cleansing!
On the other hand, the Bible does teach that one person's faith can make another person stumble if it is not joined with love and consideration for that other person. Example: one person has faith to eat certain kinds of food or drink, but another person would sin by eating and drinking the same meal because their own conscience would condemn them. We are taught to be careful not to cause another person to sin or to condemn another for practicing their personal convictions about food and other debatable things. We might extend this principle to the current quandary concerning who should wear a mask and who should social distance. One person believes the mask is an effective barrier to germs, and another person believes that the mask is a germ collector and a hindrance to a person's respiratory health.
This is something to consider in certain circumstances. But, understanding that the Kingdom of Jesus is about breaking down walls and promoting reconciliation and healing (between God and man, people groups, and individuals) should elevate the debate to a higher plain. Masking and distancing weakens our community (Kingdom) connections. We forego bonding in the marketplace because we either don't recognize each other or we are programmed to avoid each other for the sake of remaining "healthy." We isolate to feel safe, but to Jesus, isolation is the enemy of reconciliation.
Truly spiritual people living out their faith in a material world will not bypass the scriptural commands to associate with the lowly (possibly unsanitary), to assemble together with peers at "church" or from house to house, to lay hands on others to impart healing and spiritual gifts, to anoint each other and pray for each other, and to greet one another with holy embraces and even affectionate kisses. The radical nature of Kingdom relationships challenges the "good sense" of Covid-19 mandates.
In His commission to go everywhere and embrace the world's people through preaching the good news, Jesus sought to remove every fear in the minds of the disciples by predicting every possible scenario or obstacle they might face, "And he said to them, 'As you go into all the world, preach openly the wonderful news of the gospel to the entire human race! ...And these miracle signs will accompany those who believe: They will drive out demons [ALL FEAR] in the power of my name. They will speak in tongues [overcoming cultural and language barriers]. They will be supernaturally protected from snakes and from drinking anything poisonous. And they will lay hands on the sick and heal them.'” (Mark 16:15-18)
So, the believers who refuse to wear face coverings may not necessarily be AGAINST masks and distancing, but they should be, by their love, FOR everyone, fearlessly announcing and demonstrating the coming of a Kingdom in which coronavirus and vaccines are no longer a topic of discussion. The dominion of Christ looks like God's original design for the earth, where human connections know no skin color, gender differences or economic barriers, and the celebration of mercy and justice and goodness is a constant fountain of life.
