The other night, something I heard on the news truly shocked me.

The mayor of Lancaster—a self-proclaimed Christian—publicly suggested that we should “purge” our communities of the homeless by giving them free fentanyl to lead them to their deaths. He even referred to his town as a Christian community.

What he is advocating for is not Christianity. This idea has nothing to do with the teachings of Jesus.

Jesus never spoke of purging; He spoke of redemption. He didn’t dismiss the broken; He stood beside them. He didn’t offer death; He offered life. Yet, we see some American leaders who publicly profess their faith embracing a mentality of punishment and exclusion, as if we are still bound by Old Testament law. But we are not; Jesus made that abundantly clear.

“You’ve heard it said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,’ but I tell you—love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:38–39)

Jesus brought forth a new covenant—one of mercy, sacrifice, and reconciliation rather than condemnation. He didn’t abolish the law; He fulfilled it. This means He took on the judgment so we could live in grace.

In my 27 years of work across various industries, such as real estate, financial planning, and small business, I’ve encountered individuals who don’t fit society’s categories. I’ve met wealthy clients who, without their family’s safety net, could have ended up on the streets, and others who, despite appearing eccentric or unstable, had trustworthy qualities. I’ve also known those who looked just like them yet were homeless; I couldn’t tell the difference. That’s the crux of the issue.

We’ve created a society that values the clean, productive, and polished while quietly discarding the inconvenient. We’ve reduced people to their utility. This is not Christ-like; it’s commodification.

We justify cruelty in the name of order, exalt comfort as if it’s a divine right, and then dress it in religious language, calling it virtue. But the Jesus I know warned us against this.

He rebuked the religious elite for overlooking the poor, the sick, the imprisoned, and the outcast, all while maintaining an appearance of holiness. He made it clear: “You tithe … but neglect justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These you should have done without neglecting the others.” (Matthews 23:23)

Christ’s call is not to create sanitized cities that hide suffering behind gates and policies. It’s to enter that suffering—to touch, heal, and love through it.

When I hear talk of “purging” people, I think of Jesus—rejected, misunderstood, and homeless Himself. Would He be welcomed in our neighborhoods today? Would He be allowed to speak at city council meetings? Or would He too be offered fentanyl?

Let’s stop calling ourselves Christians if we won’t live like Christ. Let’s stop praising our morals if they exclude mercy. Let’s stop claiming to defend truth if we’re unwilling to embody grace.

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