Working Together

How many are watching or re-watching West Wing as an escape for when times are simpler. I love this scene between President Bartlett and a conservative Republican:

 President Josiah Bartlet: We agree on nothing, Max.
Senator Lobell: Yes, sir.
President Josiah Bartlet: Education, guns, drugs, school prayer, gays, defense spending, taxes - you name it, we disagree.
Senator Lobell: You know why?
President Josiah Bartlet: Because I'm a lily-livered, bleeding-heart, liberal, egghead communist.
Senator Lobell: Yes, sir. And I'm a gun-toting, redneck son-of-a-b*tch.
President Josiah Bartlet: Yes, you are.
Senator Lobell: We agree on that.

And after that exchange, they were able to agree on one thing, some tax code, and were able to get it passed through the Congress. What we are seeing, is that many different people and groups within the nation, within the Republican party, and even within MAGA don't always agree with the executive actions or what legislation is being pushed through or appointments for Secretaries of the Departments. 

Even locally, I do imagine that there are those in local fire departments who voted different candidates for President, but with work side-by-side towards the common goal of saving a place or a life. We are a diverse country, within the Democratic Party there are various groups and positions and ideas of what we should be doing and how to carry out our ideas. And remember, and remember, the largest group of voters are Independent, not part of either of our two-party system. Each party has about twenty-eight percent of the population and forty-two are registered as independent. I do imagine that this evening, the most important team many Americans are going to be a part of is: are they for the Philadelphia Eagles or the Kansas City Chiefs. 

In Jesus' time, there was only one political party, the Roman Empire. For the Jews and the people of Israel, there was no supporting this candidate or that candidate, for they, the governors and rulers, were appointed by Rome. In this system, the military carried a lot of weight, for it was they who kept the peace (meaning those in the occupied land did what they were told to). In our story today, the miracle may not have been that Jesus healed the person just by speaking, the miracle may not have been the centurion's faith, the miracle today is that having compassion, many people on opposite sides had compassion for one another.

The centurion is the head of a garrison to make sure that all the locals toe the line. Yet, he sees their humanity and the worth of their religion, so much so, that he helps to build a local synagogue. The Jews, the oppressed people, respond and see this man has a human, not just an evil oppressor, and how he cares for even those in his household who are 'slaves'. Not to go into too much detail, slavery in the Roman times was different in many ways than the slavery that African-Americans experienced in our nation's history. Many early Christians sold themselves into slavery and used the money to help the poor. But there was a time limit when they would be free again for most slaves. So the centurion's favorite slave could be one that is in servitude and not born and dying as a slave. We don't know for sure. 

The local people of Capernaum found reasons to trust this man, though he is in the charge of eighty to one hundred soldiers ready to throw down and enforce the occupation at a moments notice. They found him to be a good man in spite of his position. So they were more than willing to help him and his beloved servant when they needed help. 

In our day and age, let us continue to have compassion for all humans, even those on the other side, and look for ways to bridge the gaps or the canyons of identity politics. Let us seek ways in which our opposition to the executive orders and laws which are oppressive and against the Constitution to find allies locally, in our state, and on the national scene. It won't be easy, but it has been done in the first three weeks of this Presidency, and as he continues to make such oppressive and unconstitutional statements and actions, the resistance will only grow. Let us stand for justice and support the senators and representatives in our Congress who fight for everyone. Let us pray for all leaders that they may have compassion for all as well.