Where Is The Empathy of Christ?
Two weeks ago, I was among the baby boomers who had little interest in or knowledge of Charlie Kirk. Following his murder, based on what I did know, I was surprised and disappointed to see social media posts applaud him as a modern day hero. It was even suggested that we, the uninformed, do research to hear his words in their proper context and to observe him in dialogue. As a woman in a Black body who has experienced the racism enshrined in and by the United States of America, I know that context for such matters is quite often irrelevant. The capacity to engage in respectful dialogue with some does not erase the overarching contempt held for others.
Even so, I considered researching until my body began to experience the trauma of Kirk’s words. They were cruel and mean-spirited. When not explicitly racist, they were anti-immigrant, homophophic, misogynistic, transphobic, xenophobic, or some rancid combination thereof. Tragically, in his absence, others will attempt to promote reclaiming the worst of our nation’s history; the shameful and rarely discussed history of European colonizers dehumanizing those who are not male landowners in white bodies. They are today’s billionaires and Christian nationalists dressed as wolves in sheep’s clothing.
My research did lead me to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary to provide clarity on Kirk’s statement on George Floyd. Upon the murder of Floyd, he stated: "I am also going to offer some context and some nuance about the death of George Floyd that no one dares to say out loud which is that this guy was a scumbag. Now, does that mean he deserves to die? That's two totally different things — of course not." According to Merriam-Webster, a scumbag is “a dirty or despicable person.” It is apparent to me that his assessment of Floyd’s death applies to Kirk’s life and death.
Kirk invalidated his self-identification as a Christian by choosing to mock and dismiss the word “empathy.” It is unfortunate that so many of his followers accepted this uneducated and misguided attack. Christians from the margins of society, students of the Beatitudes, and people of other and of no faith traditions know Jesus embodied empathy. That is how many experience the Christ. Certainly there are Christians in white bodies who also share this insight. I wish that Kirk had spoken of this empathy, the compassion of Christ. Maybe it was not a part of his faith formation.
My first encounter with the Greek word for empathy and compassion was in reading Compassion: A Reflection on the Christian Life published by Image Books and written by Donald P. McNeill, Douglas A. Morrison and Henri J.M. Nouwen. In reading, I experienced a visceral reaction: There is a beautiful expression in the Gospels that appears only twelve times and is used exclusively in reference to Jesus and his Father. That expression is “to be moved with compassion.” The next few sentences are riveting as the authors introduce us to splangchnizomai, the referenced Greek term. We then move to this powerful and dramatic statement: When Jesus was moved to compassion, the source of all life trembled, the ground of all love burst open, and the abyss of God’s immense, inexhaustible and unfathomable tenderness revealed itself.