Ever since I heard a prominent Assemblies God evangelist get up and declare Richard Nixon was God’s choice to lead our nation, I have vowed to never to publicly endorse or renounce political candidates. I don’t mind if you do it; this is just my personal decision. What I do however is to analyze the political process for societal shifts and ask myself the question; how would God like to use that shift for the good of humanity? Many of us are correctly turned off by the crude and mean spirited tone of the 2016 political season, but could it be that we are moving away from a trend that reserves the most severe punishment for those who make another feel bad with their words. Could it be that “we the people” are craving candor? Evidently for some, even when it’s crass it’s a relief from the fearful and paranoid paralysis created by political correctness.
I am not comparing Jesus and the great New Testament biblical leaders with our current crop of Presidential hopefuls, but, in case you haven’t noticed before, “candor” was the hallmark of how Biblical heroes communicated. Unlike what we are seeing on the political stage, my Biblical heroes never crossed the line from candid to crass, however a fifteen minute search of scripture text revealed a communication style that was much more blunt and direct than most of us associate with Christianity.
I did a quick scriptural review of the candor of Christ and His contemporaries. Quite frankly I was shocked. Yes, I am concerned as many are that unkindness could become fashionable, however I am also concerned that we have elevated syrupy sweet reticent communication as the way Jesus did it, when it wasn’t always the way he did it. Scripture actually teaches that flattery is the greatest tool of evil not insults. Have you ever noticed in scripture that Satan always seduces sweetly and destroys winsomely.
Here’s a sample of passages I read earlier. If you are not surprised then you are a more diligent student of scripture than I am.
Luke 12:1 (MSG) 1 By this time the crowd, unwieldy and stepping on each other’s toes, numbered into the thousands. But Jesus’ primary concern was his disciples. He said to them, “Watch yourselves carefully so you don’t get contaminated with Pharisee yeast, Pharisee phoniness.
Luke 13:15-16 (MSG) 15 But Jesus shot back, “You frauds! Each Sabbath every one of you regularly unties your cow or donkey from its stall, leads it out for water, and thinks nothing of it. So why isn’t it all right for me to untie this daughter of Abraham and lead her from the stall where Satan has had her tied these eighteen years?”
Luke 13:32 (MSG) 32 Jesus said, “Tell that fox that I’ve no time for him right now. (King Herod) Today and tomorrow I’m busy clearing out the demons and healing the sick; the third day I’m wrapping things up.
Matthew 23:33 (NIV) “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?
Jesus didn’t just reserve candor for the Pharisees and outsiders. Listen to how he talked to his BFF’S.
Mark 8:33 (MSG) 33 Turning and seeing his disciples wavering, wondering what to believe, Jesus confronted Peter. “Peter, get out of my way! Satan, get lost! You have no idea how God works.”
It appears that Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist, launched this candor crusade even before Christ public ministry began.
Matthew 3:7 (MSG) When John realized that a lot of Pharisees and Sadducees were showing up for a baptismal experience because it was becoming the popular thing to do, he exploded: “Brood of snakes! What do you think you’re doing slithering down here to the river? Do you think a little water on your snakeskins is going to make any difference?
The the great apostle Paul continues with statements like this that would leave my congregation looking for a replacement if I made the following my choice of words.
Galatians 5:11-12 As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves! (Even though this one is in the Bible, I don’t recommend you use it.)
Hopefully one of you reading is saying, “perhaps what I have perceived in myself as kindness is really fear and what I have called love is really dishonesty. And some people that I actually do have great affection for are in big trouble because I wasn’t willing to speak truth to them.” Hopefully others of you reading this are saying to yourself, “I have judged and undermined people who have spoken truth. I can only think of them as judgmental and intolerant. I have tried to force them into a mold of my definition of sweetness. I am going to start partnering with them to help people get better.”
Candor is not always a rebuke, it can also be an affirmation. Some of us are not candidly complimenting, declaring “I love you,” and a whole lot of other life giving speech as we should. We can all hope that out of this mess of mudslinging, civil people and especially Christ followers will find a balance between mean spirited insults and being able to “speak the truth in love.”
Biblical candor is not the same as the gross insults that are going back and forth between the republican presidential hopefuls Biblical candor is redemptive because is provides a description of reality and creates clarity. Biblical candor is redemptive because it delivers us from hypocrisy. If the candid truth of our sin becomes acceptable then perhaps the candid truth of our redemption will be understandable. Simon Peter knew Jesus wasn’t insulting him in Mark 8:33, that’s why he didn’t get insulted. Peter knew that Jesus was accurately warning him that he was in spiritual danger. Biblical candor has no resemblence to what we are seeing between the 3 Republican front runners.
So as you go about your life, be kind with your words, don’t bully people with insults, but when circumstances require it, love enough to describe reality in terms that no one can misunderstand. “He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise.” Proverbs 15:31
