Before and After The Supreme Court Ruling

A few weeks ago, a gay friend emailed me asking me to pray for the Supreme Court’s deliberations regarding same-sex marriage. He knows where I stand on the issue, but he’s been on the receiving end of some hateful rhetoric, so I think he was hoping that a favorable ruling would presage a more tolerant climate. The same day, another friend emailed a similar request, but his hopes were that the Court would rule out same-sex marriage as a constitutional right.

Then came the decision. I’m certain my gay friend celebrated. I, and many of my other friends, did not. As for being a harbinger of a more tolerant era, I suspect that depends upon which side of the issue one stands. Justice Alito, in his dissent, worried about the “marginalization of the many Americans who have traditional ideas,” and that, should those who hold the now ascendant liberal view choose a militant path, “the Nation will experience bitter and lasting wounds.”

He’s right. And, in some quarters (here and here), the militant path is already being promoted. It’s more than just your church losing its tax exempt status, though. Already, it has become socially expensive to support the traditional view of marriage. Some have lost their jobs or businesses. It’s not enough to not oppose same-sex marriage. You must be for it. So, in a very real way, everything has changed.

But in ways that, I think, are far more important, nothing has. Before last Friday’s ruling, Christians were under the authority of the two great commands. According to Jesus:

“The most important one is this; Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29 – 31)

Those two commandments (and every other law that hangs on them) are still in force. They have not been altered, amended, revised, revoked or changed in any way. Before last Friday, our mission was to love God. That’s still our mission.

Loving God involves the whole person – heart, soul, mind and strength. There is not a facet of our identity that is not called to love God. We are to love Him with everything we are and have. And a part of loving God is listening to his voice (Deuteronomy 30:20). That means that our obedience to his Word is one of the most important ways we love Him.

Before last Friday, our mission was to love others. That’s still our mission. When we see someone in pain, we will do all we can to alleviate their suffering. If they are hungry, we will feed them. If they are thirsty, we will give them something to drink. If they are lonely, we will befriend them. And we will do all of those things and a thousand more before knowing where they stand on same-sex marriage. Neighbor, as defined by Jesus, is whomever you meet on the road even . . . no, especially . . . if he or she is not at all like you. (Luke 10:29 – 37).

But a part of loving people is telling them the truth. We’ll need to do that in a humble way because we’ve been wrong before. We’ll need to do that in a genial way (which means filtering your words whether online or in person through the heart of Jesus), because we’ve been harsh before. But failing to tell someone the truth is maybe the most hateful thing one person can do to another.

Don’t for one minute think that if we’ll just love God and love our neighbors we’ll suddenly be promoted from our relatively new status as cultural reprobates to beloved redeemers. To the Greeks, the gospel was foolishness. To the Jews, it was a stumbling block. To America, it’s hate speech. But God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom. God’s weakness is stronger than human strength. And what they call hate – the truth about sinners and how God responds to us – is the tenderest love of all.