Monday, June 24, 2013

dev195 - Evil Judges



“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!”

Matthew 7:11

It is clear God knows how to give us gifts. The person who seeks to be grateful can easily see all of the love surrounding him. I find it interesting, however, that in this passage Jesus feels the need to present an argument concerning the ability of the only all-powerful and all-knowing Being to be capable of good gift-giving. It should be obvious to us, but he wants to be clear.

Yet, in this passage, there is one thing that Jesus does assume. The fact that Jesus believes everyone is in agreement on comes in the form of a little jab that he throws in to his listeners- namely, the fact that they are evil. God knows how to give all this great stuff to you, and, by the way, you are evil.

The opposite argument, however, might be needed today. People probably would assume that God gives gifts; in fact, sadly, many feel as if they are entitled to them. As C.S. Lewis said, “We have put God in the dock for judgment, and it is we who judge. If God hasn’t given us enough of what we assume is our due, we get to announce our sentences upon him. The assumption has shifted. Before, men thought God was just and the one who is able to judge. Now, somehow, people have deemed themselves the ones with sufficient knowledge and goodness to judge, and God the one who is be submitted before our verdicts.

Before we hammer down our gavels to silence the Lord of Creation in our courtroom, let us be reminded of Jesus’s little jab. You are evil. Even if you had perfect knowledge of all God is and does; even if you could comprehend all the mysteries of reality; the fact that you are evil would still keep you from being able to pronounce any justice before Him. Possession of the knowledge necessary to judge is not sufficient; you would still bend your judgments to suit yourself.

The world loves the idea that man is basically good. If man is good, then I too can be good. If I am good, then I don’t need to be accountable to anyone. I get to avoid the dock and be the judge and jury. In my courtroom I can tell the voices that don’t please me to be silent. I can be in complete control, as I have become the authority. Yet the minute I become evil, I no longer have this power. I am the one being judged. Someone is claiming a command over me that assumes I am wrong. The declaration is that I am broken and need to be fixed. And, if that is an accurate description of me, then I give up my rights to be an authority. I am no longer a solution; I am a problem.

Jesus assumes that we are a problem and he is the solution. In the face of this sad humanism that the world is trying to hold on to, the fact remains that a plague of sin has infiltrated everything it is to be human. It is in the news. It is in the streets. It is in our hearts. Of all the historical Christian doctrines, none is more obviously seen to be true in every culture throughout time and space than the depravity of man, as it is perceived both outside of and inside of our souls. It is so clear that Jesus felt no need to expound on this simple descriptive of people: evil. Jesus cannot be listed amongst those who promote humanism. Richard Neibuhr said, “Only romantic fictionizing can interpret the Jesus of the New Testament as one who believed in the goodness of man.”

It is popular for people to run away from religious faith to a stance on having “faith in oneself.” If this is the route you want to go, you must realize that you are placing your faith in someone who is evil, and your foundation is no more firm than one who places his confidence in a corrupt government. You are not worthy of your trust, and I suspect that in most areas of your life you assume that to be true. Christ is the One who is worthy of confidence, and He thinks that you are valuable, loveable, redeemable and important. And evil also, by the way.