Thought for the Day 10/05/21 - Forgiveness and the new Pharisaism

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Gareth Wyn Jones (in case you didn't know) is a farmer whose family have farmed in the Carneddau Hills in North Wales for generations.

His farm diversification mobilises his strong personality and passion for farming and the countryside to grace our television screens and social media feeds with his own brand of entertainment and interest.

He's a physically tall man and he cuts a strong figure, as he puts the other side of rural matters ... the side of the actual custodians of the countryside ... to the wider public.

But this week, Gareth has taken an absolute torrent of abuse from people of a contrary opinion, I mean ... REAL, wretched abuse. (If you're easily shocked, mebbe look away from it and carry on reading below?!)

What IS it that makes people respond like that to someone they've never known or met?

Why is there such a contentedness to pour out a tirade of abuse on social media these days when we hear things that don't line up with our own opinions?

Where does all this come from and why is it happening?

Might it be because ...

The newest (old) religion 

is Pharisaism

One of the leading features of what's come to be called 'Cancel Culture' is the passion to de-platform people we don't agree with.

People of contrary opinion to ours aren't reasoned with, debated or persuaded, they are condemned, demonised and made pariahs without their reasons or supporting arguments ever getting engaged with.

This is not new but the unleashing of something old

Blaming and shaming other people is not new, it goes back to the Garden of Eden after all when Adam was first challenged about eating apples and blamed Eve!

But the violence of hatred in humanity's heart is equally as old, it seems, as that.

The Apostle Paul describes the situation in his letter to Titus for the notoriously badly behaved people of Crete:

"Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, 

to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle towards everyone.

At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another."

That's how Paul describes the inner motivations of his heart when he lived as a very religious person ... a Pharisee!

But Paul doesn't stop there, he carries on:

"But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, 

he saved us, 

not because of righteous things we had done, 

but because of his mercy."

Titus 3:1-4

You see, here's the thing ...

The 'politics' of Christ's Kingdom is different

The teaching of the Bible is not that God expects us to be perfect but that He knows we most certainly are not, so demanding absolute righteousness from humans (whether from 'them' or from 'us') is absolutely futile ... a hiding to nothing.

The Bible expects humans to do bad stuff (without excusing it) then sets about the remedies for the actual situation we have to deal with when they do, and it's not about virtual signalling or recriminations either!

The thing the Bible seeks to get God's people to work towards is coming together under the headship of Christ ... to converging views and to unity, not giving vent to the hatred and hating one another that belongs to what's wrong with humanity.

Which brings us to the Verse for the Day.

"‘If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 

But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that “every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”

If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector."

Now THAT's interesting!

How did Jesus treat pagans and tax collectors?

He welcomed them.

He went  to them and He called on them to turn from sin and to trust and follow Him, and  He added them to the group we call disciples!

The Point

The point is that if we allow our disagreement to channel into words our inner condemnation of others and our fury, we are trying to fight what we see as wrong by indulging what is wrong within ourselves.

Jesus teaches a very different way, a way that leads to correction of genuine wrong and forgiveness of the person committing it.

It is a radically different way, admittedly, but in its favour, it is a constructive way and not just a way to vent the anger our lower nature holds inside.

The Takeaway

Let's be careful not to nurture our self-righteous anger at others who really don't see things our way ... that's Pharisaism!

And let's examine the motivations for what we're feeling before we allow ourselves to lash out or alienate others on the basis of what we think of their opinions.

We need to be VERY wary of doing such a thing on social media.

A private message, one to one between the two of you may very well be a more useful, wiser move!