The Sanctity of Human Life

A couple of weeks ago we had a Sunday set aside at our church called “Sanctity of Human Life” Sunday.  We have observed this Sunday for many years now and the focus is always on being pro-life and opposing abortion.   This year I’ve been thinking a lot about the many other ways we could interpret “Sanctity of Human Life.”

One of the ways I think we devalue life is in our desire to label people and place them in groups, and then we say, either in our words or in our actions, that one group has less value than another group.  We see it in all racial issues in all points around the globe.  It rears its ugly head in gender inequality.  In many societies age is a factor, whether we are talking about the very young (or even unborn) or the very old.  And finally, I think one of the most prevalent ranking of groups happens economically, where the rich are valued far above the poor.

When we think about “sanctity of human life” I think there could be lots of good conversations about how we value life in these various groups.   We need to be challenged not to overrate the groups that we belong to in relation to people we differ from.  I think talking more about poverty and the oppression it creates in people's lives would be good.

As always, we can look to Jesus as our example of how to show what it really means to value human life.  First of all, He became a human.  He did this in great humility, disdaining all the power and glory He has and setting it aside for us.  He did it so He could know firsthand what it means to be human.

Another way He reflects the value of life is through His interactions with all types of people.  In the culture in which He was raised, there were definitely groups in society which were thought to be of less value than others… the poor, the handicapped, the “untouchables,” the outcasts.  And in the gospels we see Jesus going specifically to these groups and meeting the needs he finds in their lives.

In the gospels we also see that Jesus knew the value of each individual life, He knew the value of "one".  Jesus was certainly a man who was in demand by crowds of people.  He could have spent all His time teaching and reaching large groups of people.  But Jesus took time for the individuals who came to Him with their needs.  Think of His interactions with the woman at the well, Jairus, blind Bartimaeus,  Lazarus, Zacchaeus and so many others.  He stopped, He took time, He entered into relationships with these individuals.  He met them where they were and ministered to their needs.

I think in our society we’ve been led to think that helping individuals is a very small work.   I know I can think sometimes that I’m not accomplishing much.  I spend my days helping Will with his teaching, keeping Madeline for Kathryn and Brandon, caring for my aunt and uncle in Indianapolis.  These all feel small to me.  I often think I should be doing more.  But today I am thankful to be reminded of the value of each individual and the example Jesus gave us of taking time for each one.  There will be time for more work, maybe more far-reaching work, later.  These days are meant for these dear ones that I love so much.

So I guess my point is this:  Who are you labeling and devaluing by attaching that label?  Who are some individuals who have needs that you know of and that you can meet?  How are you cultivating relationships with these individuals? 

How are you affirming the “sanctity of human life”?