As a child, I remember giving my dad the Pop-Up Book of Boats one Christmas. Very cute, in a father-and-son sort of way, and something he held onto for quite some time – but plainly a poor choice of presents. Indeed, the only thing that made it a good present was just how adorably bad a present it actually was.

A less adorable example is the guy who catcalls a woman he thinks is good-looking. “It was a compliment!” he argues.

She – and I – and, I believe, Christ—would disagree.

When the woman in the Gospel interrupts Jesus to bestow blessings upon him, she likely believes he will appreciate it.
It’s a very Golden Rule moment (“Do unto others…”) and she’s probably a bit taken aback by Jesus’ response which feels, frankly, rather terse – feels like a comic shutting down a heckler in the crowd. I can almost hear the woman shouting back, “It was a compliment!”

But the caveat of that Rule “…as you would have them do unto you,” is where the danger lies. It can often promote a self-indulgent pride: a certainty that our way is the best way for everyone, without the empathy of thoughtful consideration.

Jesus challenges this complacency in today’s encounter. The verbs in Christ’s response are specifically to listen and to act, and not to speak. How much harder – and more generous – would it be if we were to do unto others as Others would have us do unto them?

We must break bread with the tax collector, whatever his politics. We must stand between the adulteress and the mob, whatever her sins.

Words are not enough. We must honor the humanity of the Other – with empathy and with action – regardless of how different their life is from our own.