The Irrationality of the Mob

   In a famous scene from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Antony has stirred the crowd up to a frenzy against the conspirators who assassinated Caesar.  In their rampage, the crowd (or mob at this point) comes across Cinna the Poet who unfortunately shares the name of one of the conspirators.  Read the following scene:

     Third Citizen Your name, sir, truly.  
     CINNA THE POET Truly, my name is Cinna.   
     First Citizen Tear him to pieces; he's a conspirator.  
     CINNA THE POET I am Cinna the poet, I am Cinna the poet. 29  
     Fourth Citizen Tear him for his bad verses, tear him for his bad verses.
     CINNA THE POET I am not Cinna the conspirator.  
     Fourth Citizen It is no matter, his name's Cinna; pluck but his  
                         name out of his heart, and turn him going. 34  
     Third Citizen Tear him, tear him! Come, brands ho! fire-brands:  
                         to Brutus', to Cassius'; burn all: some to Decius'
                         house, and some to Casca's; some to Ligarius': away, go!  (lines 26-37)

   The chilling lines from the fourth citizen captures the evil of the mob mentality.  When they realize that Cinna is not in fact Cinna the conspirator, the citizen calmly says, "It is no matter, his name is Cinna."  In this scene, truth is irrelevant, only the satisfaction of the emotionalism of the mob.  They want revenge, and anyone will do.  We see a similar scene played out in the pages of Scripture as Paul shared the Gospel.

   

 “Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.’  And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women.  But the Jews[a] were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd.”  Acts 17: 1-5 ESV [bold and italics mine]

However, things are different when they get to Berea.
 

“The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue.  Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds. Then the brothers immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there.” Acts 17:10-14 ESV

   What happened in Berea that was so extraordinary?  We see two distinct ways of identifying truth. Many Jews when they heard Paul’s message responded in predictable ways particularly those in Thessalonica:

1. They got offended
2. They sought to shut him up at all costs
3. They often involved large groups of people (many who didn’t even know what the real issue was) to create a big scene

   The Berean Jews responded in a completely different way.  Let’s look to the text to see how they were described.  First, they were described as nobler than those in Thessalonica (those who set the city in an uproar and attacked the house of an innocent).  Why?

1. They received the word with eagerness
2. They examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so
3. They believed based on the evidence presented them

   Their response demonstrates a high view of truth, of Scripture.  Instead of responding emotionally and subsequently working everyone up to a frenzy, they went to the Scripture “to see if these things were so.”  They didn’t react prematurely, but they allowed God’s Word to speak to them, even though this truth would have changed the very fabric of Jewish life.  The truth is they valued God’s Word over their own comfort, their own traditions.

    Do we see anything similar in our own lives?  Our country right now is like the first set of Jews.  We see or hear something that offends us, and instead of seeking out the truth of the matter, we react emotionally.  Christians, apparently, aren’t any better.  Because of this, I believe that one of the greatest dangers to our faith isn’t a different worldview such as secularism; the real danger is emotionalism coupled with biblical illiteracy. 

   God wants us to think things through.  When we encounter a situation as serious as the refugee crisis, we cannot just react emotionally.  We must search the Scriptures (and more than just one) to find an answer.  When someone says or does something that offends us as believers, we cannot react in the mob mentality.  We must search for the truth of the matter.  We must see through the lens of Scripture how God wants us to respond to a situation. 

   Our emotions are not a trustworthy guide.  Instead, “…test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).  The rule is that we must first test it then hold fast.  My prayer for us is that of Paul’s:

“Father, may their love grow more and more in wisdom and insight—so they will be able to examine and determine the best from everything else. And on the day of the Anointed One, the day of His judgment, let them stand pure and blameless, filled with the fruit of righteousness that ripens through Jesus the Anointed.  Phil 1: 9-11 ESV [bold and italics mine]

Be Courageous

   I’m not going to lie.  Every time I turn on the news and I hear about what is going on in the world, I get scared.  Paris attacks.  A pastor’s wife murdered in Indiana.  Planes diverted.  School shootings.  Missing children.  The refugee crisis.  The list could go on.  And, not only that, we see the war of ideologies.  We see the Christian faith marginalized, attacked, and refuted while other worldviews are encouraged without being analyzed or verified.

   In fact, there are Christians who have said, “I give up.  This world is too much.  I’m just going to get away.”  They may go “off the grid” and begin prepping, or, less isolationist, they might just turn off the news, avoid non-believers, and live in a simple world with little to no interaction with the rest of mankind.

   I can understand.  It seems pointless, hopeless even.  And perhaps there is a point when we just hunker down and wait for Jesus’s return.  But I can’t imagine that time is here yet. Why?  Because it isn’t that bad yet. 

   You might think I’m ridiculous to say that, but I’d like us to look at Scripture as our litmus test.

   

   Moses, on his own, faced the leader of the most powerful on Earth at this time who had enslaved a people who rejected him.

   Joshua, on his own, had to lead an untrained people in to the land of promise filling the shoes of Moses (who wouldn’t be intimidated by that???).

   Daniel, on his own, spoke truth to a pagan nation that had exiled him and his people refusing to bow down to their idols.

   Esther, on her own, faced an entire nation bent on destroying all of her people by defying a system that hated women. 

   John the Baptist, on his own, challenged a majority of religious hypocrites.

12 disciples stood firm on their eyewitness accounts in front of an unbelieving world that killed them.

   Paul was sent out to a pagan world that had no knowledge or understanding of Jesus or the Old Testament that prophesied Him and planted churches.

And these people changed the world. 

   Yes, they suffered.  They hurt.  They were afraid.  Some even died in the pursuit.  But they boldly went forward.  Why?  Because they knew they weren’t alone.  They weren’t really being asked to do all these things on their own strength. 

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 [bold mine]

   Our confidence is not in any ability that we might have in ourselves.  Our confidence comes solely from our reliance on Him.  We will have trouble.  It’s going to be hard.  But we are not alone.  And we can have confidence that God is still working in this world, no matter how chaotic it might seem.

“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!”  Psalm 27:13-14

   All we need are eyes to see and ears to hear where God is moving and then, the big step, we need to join Him.  We don’t have to be afraid of the future because God is with us now, and He will be there too.  And, in God’s perfect timing, I read in today’s Jesus Calling devotional the following encouraging words:

Leave outcomes up to me.  Follow Me wherever I lead, without worrying about how it will all turn out.  Think of your life as an adventure, with Me as your Guide and Companion.  Live in the now, concentrating on staying in step with Me.  When our path leads to a cliff, be willing to climb it with My help….You already know the ultimate destination of your journey:  your entrance of your journey.  So keep your focus on the path just before you, leaving outcomes up to Me.

Being Zealous

   I remember when I first became a Christian I would read the Old Testament and be a little shocked.  It was so violent.  There are stories of those punished with their lives for disobeying the law such as Achin who was stoned to death in the Valley of Achor (Joshua 7: 24 and 26) for stealing some of the plunder and hiding it.   

   Many Christians look to these stories as a model for how we should handle sinful behavior.  However, this is only partially true.  The Old Testament is indeed an example for us and a concrete story from which we learn.  The problem is we are learning the wrong story.  We are not looking at a picture of how the church should interact with one another and with unbelievers in regards to behavior.  We are instead seeing an external reaction to the horror of sin.  The reason the Jews acted physically to sin is because they were demonstrating the absolute purity of God to a world who had no clue what purity was.  Because God’s holiness was displayed to the world in the visible image of the tabernacle and temple and the nation of Israel, they guarded this with intense zeal. 

   For us, the situation has changed—what was previously exhibited externally in the form of a nation and temple, we now demonstrate internally.  In other words, we don’t (or shouldn’t) have an outside temple or location or even country to represent God. Why? Because we are the temple.  We, individually and corporately as the body of Christ, are now charged with the responsibility of making visible the invisible image of the Father.

   What does this look like now?  We as the protectors of God’s image still passionately seek out and punish sin.   Yet the sin we are looking to punish is not outside of us—it is not in our world, and really not even in our church (though there is certainly times for discipline)—our main focus MUST be our own sin.  Because we are now the temple of God, because He resides in us personally, because we are His and the world is looking, we have to seek out in our own selves those ideas and actions that contradict Scripture with the same ruthlessness that the Jewish people exhibited towards sin in the camp. 

   Jesus has set the example for us because He is the first to be the image of the invisible (Colossians 1:15-18).  He is our model always.  He also outlines clearly the importance of this pursuit in the Sermon of the Mount.  Consistently in the gospel, Jesus sets forth the common understanding of a law, and then raises the bar.  You have heard it said that adultery is sin….I tell you that even looking at a woman with lust is sin (Matthew 5:27, paraphrase mine).  He even goes on to say that if you right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out (Matthew 5:29, paraphrase mine)!

    Why so strict?  Because what is at stake is everyone.  The whole world.  Every precious soul.  Because if the world looks at you as the image of God and you are hateful, exclusive, and angry then they will reject the God you are displaying.  Because if you are sneaky, deceptive and a liar then they will reject the God you are displaying.  Because if you are selfish, manipulative, and self-serving then they will reject the God you are displaying. 

   No pressure, folks.

   Before you feel scared about the pressure that is on us, remember what God has done.  He has put His very self in you.  The Holy Spirit resides in you leading you (John 16:13), teaching you (John 14:26), and empowering you (Romans 8:11).  You cannot do this alone, but you must do it.  I must do it.  The stakes are too high. 

   That’s why we need Him.  We need Him every hour.  Seriously, we need Him every second.  Let us live every moment in dependence on Him because the whole world depends upon it.  

The Pain of Beauty

“It's so beautiful that it hurts me,' said Anne softly. 'Perfect things like that always did hurt me — I remember I called it "the queer ache" when I was a child. What is the reason that pain like this seems inseparable from perfection? Is it the pain of finality — when we realize that there can be nothing beyond but retrogression?'

'Perhaps,' said Owen dreamily, 'it is the prisoned infinite in us calling out to its kindred infinite as expressed in that visible perfection.”

― L.M. Montgomery, Anne's House of Dreams

   I’ll never forget reading the above quote in Montgomery’s book Anne’s House of Dreams, fifth in the Anne of Green Gables series.  The two characters are contemplating a beautiful sunset when Anne remarks that looking at really beautiful things hurt.  I remember this so clearly because I never knew anyone else had felt that way.  I thought it was some weird emotion in me that finds exquisite beauty painful.  Owen, the other character, expresses in words an idea that I had never before contemplated.  Perhaps our longing for beauty, for perfection, is in reality our own longing for God.  The part inside of us that was made for eternity yearns to meet with that visual expression of God’s perfection. 

   When I thought about that, it made sense then why we are all so drawn to beautiful things, to beautiful people.  The rightness, the sense of things fitting together speaks of God’s own wholeness.  And our so obvious brokenness cannot help but draw us towards that which is not broken. 

In our world, we can see the fruit of that longing.  We see it in amazing creations—impressive buildings, complicated works of art, sleek graphic designs, and, of course, in the pages of magazines.  The standard for beauty is high—so high, it’s impossible.  It’s not surprising that we would take one of God’s attributes and turn it into an idol. 

   Believers have responded to the allure of beauty in different ways.  The typical stereotype of conservative Christians portrays them rejecting beauty altogether.  We may envision the long-haired, dress-clad ladies with no makeup and garner the idea that unattractiveness is holy.  In our fear of beauty and its power over mankind, we have discouraged a focus on the external.  Young Christians chant the mantra, “It’s what’s on the inside that matters.” 

   Unfortunately, we cannot divorce the external from the internal.  Despite what gnostics tried to teach, the physical is not disdained by God.  A look at creation and its extravagant beauty shows us that the Earth still retains its splendor even while displaying the scars of fallenness. 

   What does this mean to believers?  It means we have to develop a healthy balance.  The desire for beauty will always be with us, and it makes no sense to pretend it doesn’t.  It does not need to be condemned, and it does not need to be given free license.  Instead, like all gifts from God, it needs to be tempered with love. 

   In our search for perfection either in our physical selves, our homes, or our work, we have to understand what the end result could be.  Anything too perfect creates a response in us that is hard to control.  We are moved to worship.  Time and time again, we’ve seen what happens when we encounter truly lovely things:  whatever it is becomes unreachable, a distance is created, an altar erected.  Either we will worship the God who created this, or we will worship the created.  On this side of heaven, perfection should only be a sign, but it is often a stumbling block.  We cannot ignore beauty or try to diminish it in order to hinder its worship effect—we can only gird it with humility. 

We can remind ourselves that beauty isn’t the end.  All the symmetry and balance of beauty (which is what it really is, isn’t it?) isn’t in itself valuable.  It is only valuable as much as it points to the One who is perfect in every way.  This mindset keeps us from becoming prideful. 

   This means that when we strive for a beautiful home with everything in its place, we realize the purpose isn’t to make others think we are amazing decorators, but to create a space of beauty where people can relax and hopefully connect with God.

   This means that when we ladies get ready in the morning and apply our makeup, the goal isn’t to communicate “Look at me!  I’m amazing!”  or even “Don’t look at me!  I’m hideous!”  We clothe ourselves in beauty to the best of our ability knowing that we are presenting an entire package. 1 Peter 3:3-4 says, “Do not let your adornment be merely [italics mine] outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.”  There isn’t a problem with making ourselves attractive, but we need to add to that a beauty of character that connects the internal with the external.

   There will always be a tension in the Christian world between the internal and external.  Between beauty and idolatry.  Between creation and the Creator.  While we are here on Earth, our responsibility as God-followers is to help bridge that gap as we rightly connect internal and external, beauty and humility, and the worship of the Creator instead of the creation.