Sunday, July 31, 2016
A comment by Jack Kelley
Then the scribes and Pharisees brought him a woman caught in adultery; and putting her in the middle, they said to him: Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery itself. And in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say? But this they said to tempt him, and to be able to accuse him. But Jesus, leaning towards the ground, was writing on the ground with his finger. And as they insisted on asking him, he straightened up and said to them: The one who is without sin among you is the first to throw a stone at her. And leaning back to the ground, he continued writing on the ground ( John 8: 3-8 ).
Why are Christians so hypocritical?
A man once said to me, «I don’t go to your church … there are many hypocrites there.» I replied, «Please come, one more wouldn’t hurt.» But seriously, the above subtitle is a question frequently asked by disbelievers. They see us condemning the behavior of others knowing that many of us are guilty of what we condemn despite the Lord’s warning to the contrary, » Do not condemn, » he told us, » and you will not be condemned » ( Luke 6:37 ).
Psychologists claim that we subconsciously hate in others the weaknesses that we most abhor in ourselves. When we become Christians we do not stop being sinners and if we neglect ourselves, that subconscious hatred of our own sinfulness can cause us to harden our hearts towards other people instead of having compassion, which must be the result of the forgiveness we have received.
Think of the woman who has a hidden abortion in her past and is now a pro-life activist who reminds others that abortion is murder. Or the alcoholic who does not tolerate drinkers, or the man whose marriage is a disaster and who loudly condemns divorce. Are these people’s motives pure, or are they projecting anger against themselves onto others? Are they trying to punish someone else for committing the sins that they are struggling with? (Generally the behavior we regard as fair is merely one of self-justification.)
Some Christian people hate people who do things that they secretly wish to do (or have done and still bear the blame for). It’s as if we’re saying, «If I can’t get out of it I’ll make sure you can’t either.» And yet the only difference between the sinner and the saint is to accept the forgiveness that the Lord acquired with His blood.
«And why do you look at the straw that is in your brother’s eye, and do not see the beam that is in your own eye? Jesus said. » Hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you will see well to remove the chaff from your brother’s eye ”( Matthew 7: 3, 5 ). Whoever of you is without sin is the first to cast the stone.
What would Jesus do?
The only anger He ever expressed toward people was in response to self-righteous authorities, who had somehow convinced themselves that they were no longer sinners, and publicly condemned other people who still were. . When He wrote in the sand in John 8: 6 , perhaps He was writing the secret sin of each of the accusers. Maybe that was what caused them to slip away one by one. It is clear that yes, that something that He did underline was His comment that if anyone was without sin, he should throw the first stone, reminding the accusers of the woman that they were sinners too.
Then He Himself refused to become an accuser of the woman ( John 8:11 ) while reminding her that her behavior was sin. The authorities of His day criticized Him for associating with sinners like her, but who else was there for Him to associate with such people? Who needed the consolation of the Lord? Surely not those people who were convinced that they were not sinful.
Was the Lord soft towards sin? No way! And our coming to Jesus does not give us any license to sin, but once we recognize that our behavior is sinful and confess it, His example is to forgive and forget. Paul demonstrated this in 2 Corinthians 2: 5-9 when he warned the church in Corinth to welcome back the expelled sinner in 1 Corinthians 5: 1-5 fearing that man would otherwise be dominated by an excessive penalty.
It is that we are so eager to cast out the sinner and hand him over to Satan for punishment, that we forget that Paul also taught that our failure to forgive is also a tool that Satan uses, and that he uses it against us. In 2 Corinthians 2:11 he said to restore it “ so that Satan will not gain any advantage over us; for we are not ignorant of their machinations . «
So what is the point?
The world scoffs when the church condemns these things as it sees us doing what it condemns, and in that way our credibility is destroyed in its eyes.
Many people in the church respond by saying, «Well, if the church were blameless, we would have more credibility when we criticize the world.» But is that true? Jesus had nothing to reproach her for, of which we cannot say the same, and yet He only showed compassion, not accepting the behavior but never rejecting the person.
Perhaps if we showed the same kind of love that Jesus showed towards sinners, we would have more power and influence for good in the world and appear less like the hypocritical Pharisees. It is His kindness that leads us to repentance after all ( Romans 2: 4 ). Perhaps our kindness can guide other people as well. So the next time you hear about a Christian brother or sister who is struggling with sin, try not to throw more things at them and think of yourself, «Only by the grace of God am I.» Ask the Lord to forgive them like 1 John 5:16instruct us to do, and if you have a chance, offer them a word of comfort. You do not have to condemn the believer to show that you do not approve of his behavior. 07/10/14