Who Is My Neighbour in the Time of COVID-19

What is the Christian response to what can be considered the next stage of the Corona Virus?  We are entering a stage in which the self isolation, thank God, is beginning to be relaxed and we are able to take small steps forward into what may be the new normal in our lives – at least until a vaccine is developed.  We will begin to interact more with others.  Some stores and other facilities are beginning to open to the public, albeit with social distancing rules in place. 

One aspect of this new stage is the wearing of masks.  The message on this has been somewhat less than straight forward since the beginning of what can be called the time of COVID.  Whether you wear a mask or not when you are in these - now new - situations whenever you encounter others.  Should I wear one or should I just maintain strict social distancing – keeping that Canadian perspective of a hockey stick distance from other people.  Is there a particular Christian perspective on this question?

Let’s look at the factors we might consider in addressing this question.  First, it is important to remember that you wear a mask to protect other people – it will do little if anything to protect the wearer from the Corona Virus.  If you are infected it will reduce and, hopefully stop, the spread of droplets to other people you may be in Contact with.  Second, it is important to remember that you can be infectious even if you are asymptomatic i.e. have no symptoms.  On the other hand, wearing a mask can be inconvenient.  It can be uncomfortable and if you wear glasses, as I do, the glasses tend to fog up when you wear them.  And some people might even think that they look silly if other people around them – hopefully at least a hockey stick away – are not wearing one.  I think many of us do not like to be the odd-person-out in a group – after all, what would they think about me?

The primary consideration here is, I believe, that as Christians we are called to love one another and particularly to love our neighbours as ourselves.  We can show our love for our neighbours by following all the guidelines in this new stage of dealing with the Corona Virus and specifically by wearing a mask when we are in situation where we come into contact with others.  Others may think we are being silly and overly cautious and it might be a bit inconvenient but it is one way in which we can love our neighbours as ourselves.

Take a mask and use it on your journey.

Social Distancing Then and Now

Growing up, my concept of lepers in the bible was probably shaped by movies as much as the bible itself  People running away from a leper shouting ‘unclean, unclean’ or the image of Judah Ben-Hur’s mother and sister being thrown out of prison because they had developed leprosy certainly made an impression on my youthful mind. 

Until I was studying theology, I had always had the impression that this was very sensible because, after all, leprosy was and is a communicable disease which can be caught through contact with a leper.  That was not the case for a number of reasons.  First leprosy, while being contagious, is not highly so.  Second, leprosy in the bible was not the disease today we more acutely know as Hansen’s Disease or technically Mycobacterium lepromatosis.  Rather, biblically, it was a skin condition which separated the afflicted from the community. 

What really came as a surprize was being informed by my New Testament prof that, of course, lepers in biblical times were not isolated because of the possibility of the infection being passed to someone.  Biblical people had no knowledge in infectious diseases or even the existence of bacteria.  This should have been obvious to me but was it hadn’t dawned on me until that time. They were kept at a distance because they were considered unclean.  That condition could be passed to others by contact. 

That being said, what impresses me about the treatment of lepers in the biblical accounts is that they had social distancing, which is now front and centre in this time of COVID-19, down to a fine art.  It is made very clear by the account in the Gospel of Luke:

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’ (Luke 17:11-12)

The people of the bible knew the importance of social distancing.  Of course, as I noted, they did not do it for the same reasons as we are encouraged to do now due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  However, there is a lot to be said by following the biblical example in this.  We can probably stretch the analogy to consider self isolating to be the modern example of keeping people in leper colonies.  I am not suggesting that we should put people in put people infected with COVID-19 in the equivalent of leper colonies.  I am suggesting that we do need to take this as seriously as the took lepers in biblical times. 

We can also should consider the rest of the story of Jesus and the ten lepers:

When he saw them, he said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, ‘Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’ Then he said to him, ‘Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.’

I am not suggesting we turn to faith healing to address this crisis.  However, we need to pray for those affected by the virus in small ways and in significant ways.  However, we can turn to our faith in God to be with us in our times of struggle and challenge.

Blessings on your journey and keep praying.