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Lame:

-adjective
1. crippled or physically disabled, esp. in the foot or leg so as to limp or walk with difficulty.
2. slang. out of touch with modern fads or trends; unsophisticated.

Which way do you usually use the word lame? 

I was thinking some recently about Jesus’ interaction with “the lame,” and what that means for our interaction with the lame.

In Jesus’ day, the word lame (if they would have used an English word, I suppose) would have referred to a physical disability. In our day, we generally use lame to denote someone’s lack of coolness. 

It seemed easy for Jesus to love the lame, to identify with them and engage with them in compassion. 

He also showed love for the religious, the wealthy, and the “normal” people. However, it seemed to be an uphill battle… whereas he just seemed to belong among the lame.

Jesus seems to require very little of the lame, but of the rich he usually requires them becoming more like the lame. 

Take the rich man Nicodemus. He comes to Jesus by night. This may seem an insignificant fact, but it has huge ramifications.

Who did things by night? Those who did sordid things. 

Nicodemus was a well to-do, respected religious leader. He was wealthy and righteous. And make no mistake, in Jesus’ day your righteousness was on display 24/7. 

There was a vast cultural chasm that separated the “righteous” like Nicodemus from the lame, “sinners” that clearly deserved (gross sarcasm) deserved their lot in life.

And the pure, the righteous, the clean, the upright, didn’t need to move around in shadows. They had nothing to hide.

When do we see him associating with Jesus?

In the moments that draw him closes to the social position of… the lame.

Most Christian communities I’ve been a part of have worked tirelessly to rid themselves of the lame. 

But not Jesus.

He forced the issue.

Christian community will never reflect Christ when it favors reflecting the prevalent culture.

Because, let’s be honest—the dominant culture didn’t become dominant easily. 

They became dominant by minimalizing the lame. By homogenizing. 

They’ve elevated everyone who’s like them because it’s safer. Easier. More comfortable and efficient. 

Jesus doesn’t seem to be about safety, easy, comfort, and efficiency. Those are our culture’s gods. 

And if we’re following Jesus, shouldn’t we be reflecting his interaction with the culture?