“I tell you, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Luke 13:3
Few things have distressed me more than how we, as a country, have treated our President. Not because of who he is, but because of what it says about who we are.
The incident in Luke 13 is revealing; Jesus was warning, in the previous chapter, against the hypocrisy of the Pharisees...explaining to a group of thousands of people to “watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees.” Yeast is a living organism—and living organisms need food for fuel, in this case, simple sugars. As the yeast feeds on the sugar, it creates two digestive byproducts; alcohol (ethanol) and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is what leavens the bread; carbon dioxide gases filter through the dough creating loft.
Jesus is explaining, to his listeners, that they need to distance themselves from the hypocrisy of the Pharisees because it will contaminate everything it touches. Hypocrisy, like yeast, has a life of its own, but needs fuel. That fuel is the hearts and minds of anybody who will listen. Hypocrites pretend to be what they are not, or to believe what they do not. If they are people of influence, hypocrites convince their listeners to believe the same lie. When we are convinced to believe a lie...we have been changed for the worse. The damage could be irreversible.
So, Jesus says “Beware.”
It’s not a coincidence that...on the heels of this warning, news came to Jesus that Pilate had executed some Galileans while they were sacrificing animals. These victims were zealots and were considered troublemakers because they spoke out against the system...the implication being they probably deserved what they got. Jesus asked to them, "Do you think that this happened to them because they were more sinful than other people from Galilee? No! I can guarantee that they weren't. But if you don't turn to God and change the way you think and act, then you, too, will all die.”
And...if I wish our President were more like me...it wouldn’t really be an improvement.
Today the voices scream and threaten. “Kick the President out of office!” As though he is unworthy of us. As though he is something “other” than us. He has become anathema to the point that media literally cancels anyone from the community conversation if they appear to sympathize with the President. Out of fear...we shut our mouths and go along with the crowd. We have been changed...without our permission. And it’s all a lie.
So, we are no better than whatever we think of President Trump. To pretend we are is to profess a lie. The problem with professing a lie is...according to Jesus...Nothing has been covered that will not be exposed. Whatever is secret will be made known. Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight. Whatever you have whispered in private rooms will be shouted from the housetops.” (Luke 12:1-3)
That’s going to be embarrassing...
The response from the hypocrites, of course, is expected; “I’m not saying I’m better than him...I’m just saying I expect my president to be better than me.” More hypocrisy. And, the ones who claim they are morally superior to our President are the expert demonstrators for hypocrisy. How do I know? Romans 3:10-12 says “There is no one righteous, not even one. there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good,not even one.” They will protest...don’t listen. They’re are hypocrites.
So where does that leave us sinners...saved by grace?
First, Jesus tells us, in Matthew 7, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Think about this when we think about our President. He deserves the same honor and respect from us that we expect from him. It doesn’t mean we have to tolerate unseemly behavior. It does mean we cannot accuse and punish a person for the same transgressions for which we are guilty. “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (V. 5)
Without judging, we must be vocal advocates for behavioral change when appropriate. Not just in our President, but in our entire culture. And, we must pray...Jesus says in Matthew 5, “love your enemies and pray for those who despitefully use you.” We cannot be effective instruments of change unless we engage the “father of all change” in the endeavor. Unfortunately, I’ve heard more than a few political leaders say “we don’t need thoughts and prayers...we need action.” I assure you, anybody who does not believe in the power of prayer does not understand prayer or the One to whom we pray. They will never be true change agents.
Which tells me, our problem is much bigger than the President.
Of course I pray for our President and our leaders...with humility...because whatever I may think of them, they are a mirror of myself, staring back at me. We’ve had the whole of human history to review the trouble we create when we take matters into our own hands. Let’s not perpetuate this slide toward oblivion. We Christians will never win the day, on this side of eternity, but we can be leaven ourselves...encouraging others to follow the anointed Son of God into an eternity free of turmoil and trouble.
But for now...what if God decided to do something marvelous with (and for) our President simply because we asked Him to? Or, for Our Congress? Or for our media outlets? or, for our neighbors?
Ah, yes...yeast...of a different kind!
Live boldly out there today...
