In the latest edition of the Bagpipe, an article was printed entitled “Jesus Would Wear a Mask.” I’ve decided to respond to the article for a couple of reasons. First, because my immediate reaction when I saw the title was to protest in anger and frustration before reading the author’s argument – a reaction which I think is wrong and all too common. When I decided to read the article anyway, I found that it was actually well-written and convicting – even edifying.
Second, I decided to respond because, while I appreciate the spirit in which the article is written, I disagree with its conclusion and I want to encourage readers to see another perspective on the issue. Ultimately, it is my hope that this article will encourage free and gracious discourse and promote unity among believers.
In “Jesus Would Wear a Mask,” the author draws on church history to warn us that we “are prone to digress from the teaching of our Lord and instead lift up Satan.” This is all too true, and a warning which I greatly appreciate. He goes on to say that American culture is “prone to despise authority,” but that this is a trap which Christians should resist, and he encourages us to respect the college’s authority over us and obey the mask mandate which we agreed to when we signed the contract to come to school here. He points to Jesus’ self-sacrificial love and his willingness to put up with discomfort and pain – far more than we can even imagine – for the sake of those he loved.
I found this convicting. I recognize that I am someone who struggles to respect authority, who confuses freedom with autonomy, and who wants my own way. I believe that most people on this campus struggle with the same thing. And it is my desire that I – that we – grow in our willingness to die to ourselves and love self-sacrificially.
But at the same time, I feel for those who are weary and burdened by these past two years, both from the coronavirus itself and the sorrow it has caused, and from the negative repercussions of the way restrictions have been applied and handled. I, along with many others, find myself asking, if we just stopped testing, if we just stopped masking and distancing, would we even notice? Yes, covid can be deadly. But haven’t we seen that it is getting less serious and more treatable? And haven’t we always lived with risks? Life is deadly. Why are we as a culture so addicted to safety?
Masking seems like a small sacrifice to make for another person’s sake, and it is something that I have done and am willing to do. But it has also taken a toll on society, albeit a subtle one. What does masking mean for someone who struggles with intense sensory issues? Or who is deaf and relies on reading lips? What does it do to a child who is born into a faceless world? What does it do for all of us, when we are programmed to fear our fellow human beings and find ourselves covering up the Imago Dei? I realize this sounds dramatic, but I say this to draw our attention to the long-term repercussions of the “new normal.” At what point is the cure worse than the cause?
If all that we knew about the virus and how it should be handled were set in stone, then it would be easy to decide how to react. But there are so many questions left unanswered. Science has been used to argue for masking, but it has also been used to demonstrate that masks are virtually ineffective. The production of the vaccine was an amazing feat of modern science, yet its long term effects are untested and unknown, and already, some have experienced severe negative side effects that can’t easily be explained away.
As Christians, we care about the truth. I’m not going to tell you what conclusions to draw from the data, but simply encourage you to pursue the truth and not just go along with what you’re told. In a world that is sinful and broken, is it any wonder that we may be being deceived? Yet we are bombarded by a cacophony of voices on this issue and the truth is difficult to discern. So my encouragement is this: there is grace for us even when we are wrong. Seek the truth, but seek it humbly, realizing that we don’t have all the answers. And because we don’t have all the answers, give grace to those who offer different ones than your own.
So, let’s readdress our starting question. Would Jesus wear a mask? The truth is, I don’t know. The article “Jesus Would Wear a Mask” has encouraged me to respect the college’s authority on the issue even if I disagree with the college’s policy because I am not being asked to sin. Yet, there is no one way to love our neighbors. Loving your neighbor can look like wearing a mask in order to protect their health. It can also look like choosing not to wear a mask because you desire to protect their freedom and to bring an end to restrictions that have been a burden to us all for two years, because you are seeking the truth and the data that we’ve been given simply doesn’t seem to line up.
It is always dangerous to assert “Jesus would…” to any problem that is not specifically addressed in Scripture. We don’t know what Jesus would do in this situation. But we do know that we are called to love our neighbors, including those who disagree with us. And we know that Satan loves to divide the church, to turn Christians against each other over something as superficial as whether or not we choose to wear a facemask.
I want to make it clear that I don’t believe that the author of “Jesus Would Wear a Mask” is being unloving or harsh toward those with whom he disagrees. I believe he is coming from a spirit of love for God and neighbor, and I am encouraged by this. But the article prompted me to respond to this issue by encouraging my fellow students to not let something like masking divide us. We love because Christ loved us, and we are called to love self-sacrificially. But when it comes to controversial issues, Christians seldom agree on what this love looks like.
So rather reacting like me when I saw “Jesus Would Wear a Mask” and immediately found myself angry and judgmental, engage with those with whom you disagree. Love them. Respect them. See their perspective. Realize that your perspective is not your own. Don’t let Satan turn us against each other. And when you fail, repent, and rest in the grace of the one who says “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).” Who am I to condemn the one for whom Jesus died?