Masks, Meat, and Discovering the Most Excellent Way

Gazing out the windows of my home office where I am equipped to work remotely, evaluating dinner options from a stocked refrigerator secure in the knowledge that my auto-draft bill payments will be honored because a paycheck will be deposited, and with any illness at more than arm’s distance – I am largely unaffected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Largely unaffected alters my perspective about Covid-19. Our experience of something always informs our perspective. That’s true about Covid-19, cancer, dieting, exercise, marriage, children, education, church, faith. Pick a topic, perspectives vary. Perspective is the interrelationship between personally known facts (our experience) and our ideas about those experiences. It’s more than opinion, which is not necessarily grounded in fact. Believing your perspective matches mine is an easy snare trap.

As shelter-in-place orders expire and our economies open up, we are once again compelled to take sides.  Is it too soon? How do we do this and stay safe? Masks or no masks? #stayhome is trending and more than one social media post condemns anyone daring to step out of their house to hell and back. Others are thumbing their noses at the #stayhomers as they take full advantage of their new freedoms.  

Poised at the intersection of faith and life every day and in every situation, Christians are particularly challenged in this Covid-19 environment to step out of our own perspectives like we have never been challenged before. We don’t want our responses to be based on opinion, our neighbors need them to be perspective rooted in God’s truth.

Before we jump on a particular do-we-or-don’t-we bandwagon, let’s take a deep breath.   God’s Word is rich with instruction and application for such a time as this. For a time such as any time we need new perspective. Sometimes we have to mine it a bit to see the timeless truth.

Way back in the day, the Apostle Paul established a small church in Corinth. Located on a narrow isthmus that was a major trade route, the Corinthian culture was colorful and cosmopolitan, a little rough, and a whole lot diverse.  Pagan worship of the Greek gods was the norm. Against all odds, Paul’s message of God’ redemption struck a chord with enough people that a church was born. Much like our churches hope to be today, the Corinthian church was a melting pot of nationalities, former belief systems, values, and morals united under the one belief that Jesus was their savior and Lord.

But that didn’t mean their dissimilarities evaporated. They had issues. They had questions. 

Pagan temples dotted the landscape like Starbucks^® dots ours and the practice of sacrificing animals to the various gods was prevalent. Unlike the Jews who had strict laws regarding the consumption or disposal of sacrificial meat, the pagans had no such laws. An animal presented for sacrifice could easily have its meat end up in the market for general sale. 

The new Christians faced a conundrum. Many of the converts came from the pagan world. Their experience with idol worship associated the meat with idols, other gods, and influenced their perspective. When they shopped in the market or joined family for meals they couldn’t shake the fear and guilt that the meat might have been an idol sacrifice and eating it meant they still worshipped those other gods.

Other new believers, on the other hand, had no such compunction. Maybe they had no experience with idol worship. Maybe they threw all of that off when they converted to Christianity and embraced their freedom. Their perspective led them to dig in and enjoy the cuisine.

The do-we-or-don’t-we-eat meat factions were creating disunity in the church.  So they asked Paul the question. “Is it okay to eat meat sacrificed to idols?” The easy answer was yes – of course eating meat sacrificed to idols was perfectly okay because everyone knows idols are nothing – right? But Paul rarely gives the easy answer. Instead, he instructs the Corinthian believers to respond in what he later describes as the most excellent way.

Paul does not belittle those who struggled with the idea of eating meat that was sacrificed to idols. He acknowledges their dilemma. They have growth to experience to be ultimately confident in Christ and that is perfectly ok.

The more “mature” believers receive a surprising rebuke. Instead of praising them for their confidence, he admonishes them for their lack of compassion and love. The exercise of their freedom has become a stumbling block for their brothers and sisters in the faith. Paul teaches that our freedom in Christ should not be exercised at the expense of another’s confidence in their faith.  He finishes with the declaration that he’d never eat meat again if that removed a stumbling block from one person growing in their relationship with Christ.

The most excellent way means we do not cause another person to fear, doubt, question, feel guilt, judgment, or condemnation. The most excellent way is to do whatever is needed to help that person grow in their confidence and faith. The most excellent way, Paul writes, is motivated by love for one another.  

As our economies reopen, we are faced with the same conversation. Instead of meat, the subject is masks, eating out, getting haircuts, and even giving our loved ones a hug. What will we do with our freedom?

My perspective of Covid-19 might lead me to conclude I’m perfectly within my right to take advantage of the freedoms and resume life as normal as possible. But as a Christian, I must ask myself if the exercise of my freedom is the most loving thing.

The most excellent way makes my perspective irrelevant and God’s perspective the only one.   If our actions cause someone else to be fearful of going to the store, being out in public, or re-entering the social scene, then we are unloving.  We create a stumbling block.  If wearing a mask helps someone else get on an airplane, go into a store, or simply resume basic daily life outside their home, then wear a mask every time, everywhere.

The answer is not black and white. Paul never said yes or no to the Corinthian’s question about eating meat. He doesn’t tell us yes or no about masks, eating out or any other quandary.  He urged them to consider others before themselves. They had to evaluate each situation through the lens of love for their brothers and sisters to determine the most excellent way.

So do we.

Failure is never an option for love.   So, we cannot fail when we err on the side of love.