Don’t Take the Bait
written by Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“The LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous. ”
Throughout my ministry I have had to face the arrogant, who love challenging the local pastor to prove why I would believe in a God who… . You know the … . Why do bad things happen to good people? Why does God allow pain and suffering? How could an all-powerful being let the holocaust happen, etc.
In reading another N.T. Wright book, The Crown and the Fire, I learned that I shouldn’t have troubled or doubted myself with not having faith-transforming answers. Jesus had to face the same kind of arrogance, and the way he responded to the arrogant is instructive to the rest of us.
Right after being told by God, “This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased,” Jesus had to go into the desert for 40 days and be tempted by the devil. This temptation wasn’t the devil dressed up like a beautiful dancing girl. The temptation was more dangerous. The devil was tempting Jesus to manipulate God. The devil was trying to trick Jesus into “proving” his power. Jesus’ response was not to prove himself, but to walk away from the temptation. Further, Jesus was experiencing his final hours of life on this earth. He could have stopped all the taunts, pain, and humiliation. Instead, Jesus chose to accept death, rather than be forced to prove his identity.
Likewise, at one time or another, most of the faithful have been challenged to prove our faith and/or the truth of God’s identity. Rather than accept the bait, and the feeling of failure for being unable to persuade the cynical, we are called to be Christ-like. To trust the Holy Spirit to change the heart of the cynical, and to live our faith with the hope that others will want what we have in God is being Christ-like. We are not called to defend or prove the identity of Christ. We are called to follow Christ and share our faith with others. Not provide arguments like we are a High School debate team. Our responsibility is to live faithful lives and trust God’s Spirit to address the cynical. Only God can make the blind one see.
