October 21, 2026
Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy, and do not oppress the vulnerable.
Zechariah 7:9-10
“A person who is kind to you but rude to the waiter is not a kind person.”
Anonymous
Respect and mockery are both tools of human behavior. The quote is a reminder that our character is not best measured solely by the use of either, but their balance, their targets, and their purpose. A character on a 70s sitcom once remarked, “It’s nice to be nice to the nice.” In other words, it’s easy and pleasant to be nice to those who are nice to us. The challenge is being kind not just to our enemies, but those who need it most. Christ taught that we should turn the other cheek, but emphasized seeking out those most in need of our compassion and advocacy. The whole of his ministry, including overturning tables, was to proclaim a courage to confront power, especially to protect and champion the powerless.
Just as worry is a misuse of imagination, scorn and derision of the powerless is a misuse of mockery. Jesus continued a proud tradition of the prophets when he confronted the politicians and powerbrokers of his time, disrupted their business, called them vipers, and refused to participate in their jockeying for position under occupied rule. And he balanced that with invitations to children, compassion for widows, conversation with outsiders, and healing and welcome for the lame, afflicted, ill, and suffering. Not once did Jesus mock the blind, the handicap, the possessed, or even the cheat or adulterer.
In our modern culture, like the cultures of antiquity, we reveal our character by who we choose to ridicule, jeer, and cheer. Whose jokes do we laugh at or excuse on late night TV, which politicians do we elect, and what comments do we post and like? Does the mockery we utilize and approve of target the powerful or the lowly? Does it have collateral damage? My colleague teaching Sunday school this week asked if we are people who revel in Schadenfreude - literally, damage pleasure - the sin of taking joy in someone else’s suffering. Aligning our hearts to refusing to participate in damage pleasure, practicing restraint, and reserving our mockery for corrupt powerful people is a spiritual discipline. May we all find ways to move toward mutual respect and holy satire.
Prayer
Lord, make me well-practiced at compassion and empathy, and well-aimed in my prophetic contempt. Amen.
Rev. Brian Daoust
Associate Pastor for Mission & Youth
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