Things that Make You Say “Yuk”

The 4th Sunday of Easter
Today’s Readings: Acts 4: 8–12; Ps 118; 1 Jn 3: 1–2; Jn 10: 11–18 [Link to Readings]


I want to talk today about disgusting things. Things that make you squeamish or make your stomach do flip-flops. Things that make you look away or say “yuk.”

Maybe it’s food. Kids are experts on things that aren’t fit to eat— like broccoli or stinky cheese. I once ate a Chinese specialty called a sea cucumber. It looked like a stewed piece of bicycle tire in a plate of soupy mud. Some of my dining companions thought that was pretty gross and couldn’t look while I ate it.

Perhaps you’re revolted by blood and gore. The thought of seeing a person or an animal who’s been hurt is too much for you to handle. Why, I even have a friend who used to pass out if she had to get pricked by a needle to give a little sample of blood.

Or maybe certain smells push you over the edge. Some folks can’t change a baby’s diaper or get downwind of a hog farm. Sometimes, even some cooking odors or perfumes can make you queasy.

And sometimes, the things that we find quite disgusting aren’t things at all; they’re people. It might make us too uncomfortable to admit it—maybe even admit it to ourselves—but we might really be revolted by our white daughter going out with a black man… or worse yet, marrying him and having bi-racial children.

What does God have to say about all this?

When it comes to things, I don’t think it matters to him whether or not you like certain vegetables or smells. But when it comes to other people, it’s a whole different story.

Jesus reminds us today that he is the good shepherd. He loves all his people, his sheep. He also tells us that all his sheep aren’t the same: I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd.

In other words, Christ’s love is universal. There is no one on the face of this earth that Our Lord finds disgusting or revolting. We all know that he embraced not just the “good folks,” but also lepers, prostitutes, the sick and dying, scoundrels, criminals and afflicted people of every kind.

What happens to us mortals, though, is that lots of times we let our feelings have free reign and dictate our attitudes. Sure, Jesus tells us that we’re supposed to love everybody… but maybe he never met your mother-in-law… or your cousin and her husband you cheated you out of your share of grandma’s inheritance… or the bully who has made your life miserable. But Jesus commands us to love our neighbor, and that means it’s doable… or else how could he have commanded it? I’ve read that command many times, and I’ve never seen any exceptions or footnotes. So as angry or bitter or even disgusted or revolted we may feel inside, that does not excuse us from the universal law of love.

In our country, especially in years past, I have no doubt that many people were seriously sickened over the whole prospect of integration. Imagine drinking from the same water fountain as a colored person! Or having your child sit next to one of them in a classroom or on a school bus. Or receiving a blood transfusion from one. And despite the clear teachings of Jesus, it was easy enough to find all kind of bible passages to justify your prejudice or hardness of heart that were all brought about by strong, culturally-conditioned feelings... that were dead wrong!

Fortunately, the civil rights movement has educated us over these past 40 years. Today’s generation is for the most part color-blind. People are people, and beloved by God, regardless of the color of their skin. Note that Christ’s teachings haven’t changed. It’s us. We have stretched and grown.

But the hatemongers are not out of business. They’ve just got other targets. And in our fear and ignorance—just like dumb sheep—we are an easy prey. Watch us get riled up!

Example: 400,000 people rallied in Grant Park this past Monday in support of immigrants’ rights. What do we do with the millions of people who came into this country illegally and stayed here? Do we embrace them and make them part of the fold, or do we let our fearful feelings convince us that they’re putting “real” Americans out of work, breaking down our social systems… so the best solution is to follow the letter of the law and treat them like criminals? Like racial prejudice, are our feelings out of date? What would the good shepherd want us to do?

Another example: there’s a movement in our state to get an advisory referendum on the ballot this November to oppose gay marriage… not that it’s legal now, but a precaution “just in case.” The promoters of this referendum are disgusted by gay people and they feel that the way to exercise their disgust is by denying rights. It’s funny that they think married homosexuals would be a threat to families, but they have no problem with no-fault divorce laws. And of course, lots of their argument is wrapped up in bible verses. But how about this verse? I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Again, are our feelings out of date?

Maybe you’re caught up in the hatemongering—not because you’re a bad person, but because you’ve listened to your feelings that are based just on your personal tastes and predominant cultural experiences to date… but not on Christ’s law of love.

Let me give you a simple rule of thumb to help guide your thinking on the moral and legal issues of our day. If the proposed solution puts anybody down or somehow forces them into an inferior class, it is suspect!

Jesus Christ wound up nailed to a cross because he preached the true faith—the law of God’s love, of acceptance, of inclusion, of tolerance, of the family of man standing together for one another. The powers of his day—both civil and religious—thought his ideas were dangerous and reactionary.

And yet here we are, 2,000 years later, and not much has changed. Thank God for our good shepherd who continues to lovingly lead the entire flock. If only we would trust our hearts to hear his true voice.