By Milton Johanides
TO be woke is to be socially aware. Another way to look at it is to say that it is a form of extreme kindness and compassion shown towards socially disadvantaged sections of the community. This brings to mind the verse at Ephesians 4.32: “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” This is an instruction to a community more prone to squabbling than to sharing. Does it need to be repeated today?
Kindness is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit (see Galatians 5.22) and is referred to in numerous Bible references as a positive attribute. To be kind is to be considerate, gentle, tolerant, understanding, helpful. Kindness is tied up with charity, a kind of free love for others which along with faith and hope are the three things which remain at the end, according to the Book of Corinthians. The word “remain” suggests these are attributes that go on forever without end. Some regard the act of kindness as a weakness and prefer to show strength or tough love but there is no indication in the gospels that Jesus ever beat anyone to teach them a lesson or resorted to physical violence to prove a point!
If we examine Jesus’s relationship with others, we come to no other conclusion but that Jesus was kind, believing that through specific kindnesses society is improved in general. By helping others, he was able to reveal vital aspects of God, often overlooked by the more zealous devotee; for a reading of the Old Testament alone might leave us with an impression of God as angry, tyrannical, vengeful, forever seeking to punish anyone who disobeys him. Jesus reveals another side, the side that led to our genesis in the first place – ever-loving, filled with forgiveness, eternally kind.
A lot of Jesus’ time was spent among people who in his day were regarded as outsiders. A Jew would not speak to a Gentile, sinners would be stoned, the sick and the leprous would be shunned. Jesus confronted all these taboos head-on. By socializing with Gentiles, to the horror of the orthodox establishment, he was able to preach to them on the prospect of their own salvation, which till then had been reserved for Jews only. By forgiving sinners he demonstrated the power of faith in forgiving all our sins. He healed the sick and the leprous. He flouted religious traditions by healing on the Sabbath, by not letting funerals get in the way of his mission, by providing an over-abundance of wine at a wedding, by preventing the stoning of an adulteress and prostitute, by criticizing the untouchable Pharisees. And the sick woman who flouted convention by touching him? Did he punish her for her presumption? No, he turned and healed her, wisely rewarding her faith.
For Jesus, the most important principle of life is that it is better to give than to receive. With his skills and charisma, he could have accumulated more wealth than anyone else, garnered enough power to overthrow Rome, and wallowed in the adoration of millions. He ultimately achieved all three though not for himself, but for the Church he established. And the Church he established overthrew a thousand-year-old Empire within three centuries, establishing its divine successor in Constantinople as a Christian alternative to militancy and oppression. By constantly giving to those who were in need, Jesus managed to change the world and create a more caring society. It is only when his Church forgets this simple principle of kindness and compassion to all, not just the select, that it fails in its objectives.
So, would we describe Jesus as woke today?
Only up to a point. No doubt, given his nature, he would be seen marching alongside Black Lives Matter and giving aid to refugees and the homeless, standing firm against corporate greed and exploitation, demanding free health and education for all. He would preach salvation to criminals and listen to the grievances of terrorists. He would minister to the mentally ill without hesitation and without judging. He would be as conscious of the life and health of a young mother as of the life of the unborn baby she carries, and he would understand that sometimes difficult choices are a part of life.
But Jesus went further than this. When he was goaded by others, confronted with wickedness, attacked by his enemies, he did not resort to violence or become vengeful, but turned the other cheek. He showed us that the way to make progress in the world is not to engage violently with it but to try and be good Christians.
Of course, living up to Jesus’ example is far from easy. If it was easy, we would not need a Christ-figure as the symbol for our struggle. The most special quality of Jesus, which indicates a divine conscience that goes way beyond woke, was not only that he showed kindness and compassion to stranger, friend and foe alike, but that he went willingly to the cross, that he bore his punishment set for him by the authorities without complaint. He accepted his fate with grace and died for those who, more than anyone else in the community, needed grace to save them. Courage as well as kindness! We have martyrs of this ilk even today, but it is not enough to have martyrs. Martyrs need disciples, and disciples need followers.
Being woke may be part of a new awakening of the conscience of Christ within us, but it is still only a partial awakening. A full awakening is only possible when we take the physical Christ wholly into our hearts and combine it with faith in a spiritual God.
Milton Johanides is author of The Cypriot’s Treasure and other novels.
