Wisdom Is Proved Right by Her Deeds

It is well-documented that the religious leaders did not like Jesus’ tactics or His message. He didn’t hold to the man-made rules of the Sabbath. He turned their understanding of the Law on its head. He didn’t just chill with the religious crowd, but He ate with “sinners and tax collectors.” For this Jesus was accused of being “a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Matthew 11:19).

John the Baptist, however, didn’t act like Jesus. He had the same message, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 3:2, 4:17), but different tactics. John’s base of operation was the wilderness. He wasn’t doing much eating and drinking with religious leaders or sinners and tax collectors, as his diet consisted of locusts and wild honey. Because of this, the religious leaders said of John, “He has a demon” (Matthew 11:18).

Jesus and John had the same message but different tactics. Because the religious leaders didn’t want to hear their message, they found a way to attack their methods. Jesus’ response was, “But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.” Their actions would be justified by the fruit they would bear for God’s glory.

PHARISEES OF TODAY

When Colin Kaepernick first began his peaceful protest of the national anthem due to racial injustices, I somewhat agreed with his message but not his methods. I wondered if there were better, less provocative ways for him to address the problems that he felt plagued the nation. I knew people wouldn’t be able to hear the message because of a perceived disrespect for the military and this nation, even if he said that wasn’t the case.

As I’ve witnessed the responses of our President and fellow Christians to the NFL protests, along with their response to the Confederate flag and statues, I’m starting to see the wisdom behind his methods. When predominantly black NFL players are cursed out by the President for their peaceful protests of injustices, while white supremacists are given the benefit of the doubt when they violently protest the removal of Confederate statues, there may be a reason to kneel during the anthem. Maybe—just maybe—there is some merit to the method.

I expect this from the President. While I’m saddened by his behavior, I’m not shocked by it. Because as much as some people try to convince me that he is a Christian, there is little to no fruit that actually shows he is a follower of Christ. So, I’ll continue to pray for his salvation, as I’m commanded to do (see 1 Timothy 2:1-4).

I do, however, expect more from my supposed brothers and sisters in Christ. Some Christians who support the Confederate flag and statues are also offended by the NFL protests. So, you tell me that you’re upset at NFL players who kneel because they are disrespecting those who served and died for this country? Tell me—how many were killed in the Civil War? Are we not disrespecting them when we fly the Confederate flag and honor those who wanted no parts of the national anthem or the American flag? Even if I fall for the “states’ rights” argument for the Civil War (which I’m not!), is it justifiable to support those who fought a war for their 10^th Amendment rights, while disdaining those who protest under their 1^st Amendment rights for their God-given right to equal treatment?

You can kick and scream that your disdain for anthem protests is not about race all you want, but your hypocritical response actually justifies the protests. You can say that they should try a different method, but history has shown that we don’t respond to nice appeals for change. We like to hold up people like MLK as examples, but do we forget that they he was beaten, jailed, slandered, harassed, and eventually assassinated for his message? If we truly examine ourselves, we’ll realize that we have much in common with the religious leaders of Jesus’ day. It is not the method we hate; it is the message. We don’t like to be called out on our sin. We don’t want to think that our shiny idols (i.e. flag, nation) have any blemishes. If you still insist that methods are your true concern, are you crying out about the methods (i.e. public name-calling, Twitter rants) the President is using to disagree with the protests? Aren’t they clearly sinful, disrespectful, and provocative? Do you still want to tell me that it’s not about race?

MISSING THE MESSAGE FOR THE METHOD

Let’s say, for a moment, that you are indeed messed up about methods. You should still be able to bypass the method for the message. Let me give you an example. I have a rule in my house that I do not want my kids to scream my name from another room. I find it disrespectful. Most of the time, they are doing nothing important while I’m working, cooking, or cleaning. If they want or need me, they can easily use their two feet to find me.

Let’s say, however, that one of my kid’s feet were broken or they seriously hurt themselves, and she screamed my name from another room. I would be a horrible parent if I chastised her for being disrespectful instead of acknowledging the reason she was screaming out my name. If she has a justifiable reason for screaming, I need to disregard the method for the message.

Likewise, when we see NFL players kneeling during the anthem, we as Christians need to ask why they are doing it before we curse them for not standing. If they are feeling oppressed, we as agents for justice (see Micah 6:8) should hear them out. It doesn’t mean we must agree; it means we care enough to listen. Most protests are a cry to be heard. When their message is heard, their methods may change.

This is what Jesus did for us. We have all repeatedly disrespected God’s holiness, love, justice, righteousness, etc. Instead of remaining in heaven, cursing and punishing our rebellion, Jesus entered our pain and absorbed it on the cross. Because of His love and our faith in Him, our rebellious methods should change to methods of “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). And we should extend our Lord’s love, grace, and mercy to those we think deserve otherwise. Then, to God’s glory, wisdom will be proved right by her deeds.

You Reap What You Sow

Last year, my youngest was in the second grade, and she was studying the War of 1812. Initially, I didn’t pay much attention to the lessons that were sent home. I mean—what harm could some worksheets do to a second-grader? As the worksheets continued to come home, I began to read some of what was being taught. One such worksheet contained the history and lyrics of the “Star-Spangled Banner.” One of the characters on her favorite show sang it, so she was excited to give it a try now that she had the lyrics. There was a part of me that wanted to extinguish her excitement with a lesson on the infamous third stanza, or on the fact that the U.S. wasn’t “the land of the free” for black people at the time. I decided—for better or for worse—that an eight-year-old didn’t need her excitement crushed just yet, so we went on YouTube to repeatedly watch Whitney Houston’s epic Super Bowl performance of the national anthem.

That incident reminded me of how—from a young age—we indoctrinate our kids with American history, giving them the good without the bad. Coloring pages are sent home of Native Americans and Pilgrims enjoying a hearty, Thanksgiving meal, but little mention is made of the systematic conquest of Native Americans and their land. We promote ideals such as bravery and freedom, yet omit any talk of slavery and discrimination. I don’t know—there may even be wisdom in leaving out the gory details until kids are better able to cope and engage with them, but by that time we have already filled them with a pristine image of the United States of America.

While it may be wise to omit certain facts at certain ages, I believe it is unwise for us to continuously glorify facts that are clearly sinful. In the name of patriotism, we unashamedly celebrate, justify, and promote historical events that are unbiblical on so many levels. And when we plant such seeds in generation after generation of Americans, there should be no surprise when we reap a harvest of hatred and conflict.

Take, for example, the Boston Tea Party and other riots in response to taxes imposed by the British government. No matter how many times we chant, “No taxation without representation!” to justify these acts, it is still sinful according to God’s standards. Clearly, we are to pay taxes as Christians (see Matthew 22:15-22, Romans 13:1-7). Jesus doesn’t say we must think the taxes are fair before we pay them. If you know anything about the Roman tax system at the time those Scriptures were written, you know that it was anything but fair. The Boston Tea Party was a clear violation of the command to “be subject to the governing authorities” (Romans 13:1) and “to give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s” (Matthew 22:21). And we haven’t even gotten to the evil that came with the destruction of property, and the racism that came with disguising themselves as Native Americans. Yet, these men are held up as patriots and heroes.

It should be no surprise, then, when other generations believe that riots and protests are the solutions to getting the justice they seek. Our history of handling conflict—and our celebration of it—is so ingrained into their DNA that it subconsciously becomes the way in which they deal with injustice. How can we kick and scream when we see destruction of property in Ferguson and Baltimore when we reenact and commemorate that very thing in Boston and Rhode Island? Can we honestly say that the current rallying cry of “no justice, no peace” is not as justifiable as “no taxation without representation?”

I am not saying that the actions of Black Lives Matter or Antifa are any less sinful than those of our forefathers. What I’m saying is that we can’t celebrate one and condemn the other. We are hypocrites if we tell black men to obey the police if they don’t want to get shot, while simultaneously celebrating those who died while assaulting British troops enforcing the law (i.e. The Boston Massacre). We are hypocrites if we label as thugs those who burn buildings in frustration with the justice system, but then label as patriots those who burned ships in frustration with British customs (i.e. The Gaspee Affair). When we celebrate our sinful history, we are planting seeds of discord in the hearts of our children, and we are reaping an abundant harvest of division.

Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin

If you have read this far, you may want to have me arrested and tried for treason. You may think that I do not love this country, and that I should pack up and move to Canada. That would be far from the truth. I love the United States of America. I love the freedoms we have in this country. I love the diverse cultures in this country. There are so many reasons to rejoice as a citizen of the United States.

However, my allegiance is to Heaven first as a follower of Christ and a child of God, which requires me to call evil what God calls evil, and to call good what God calls good. We as a country should do the same if we hold to our supposed Judeo-Christian roots. I believe many in this country are so fixated on the U.S. as Heaven, that we view any criticism of this country as hatred for it. Is it possible for one to love the U.S., but not necessarily the way it was conceived?

I believe so. Before I was saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, I was steeped in sexual sin. I have three children who were born out of wedlock as a result. I view each of them as blessings from God, and I love them just as I love my other children. Yet, because Christ died a horrible death for my sins, I dare not rejoice in the sexual sin that conceived my kids, and that nailed Jesus to the cross. I love my kids, but I repented of the sinfulness that brought them into the world.

Jesus also died for our rebellion as a nation, and He was raised for our salvation. If we claim to be a Christian nation, we cannot continue to rejoice in the sinful rebellion that conceived the United States. We must repent of these acts if we are to experience the presence and power of God in this country. If we continue in our memorializing of sin, we will continue to sow the seeds of destruction. Don’t be surprised when we reap a harvest that is more than what we can contain.