Recently the president of the largest Evangelical university in the USA resigned amid controvery. The response of many saddened me.
What has grieved me most is the response of the Faith Community to all of this. Most of what I have read in the comments sections of social media (mostly Twitter) has been full of self-righteous finger pointing.
When Kingdom citizens respond with an “I told you so” attitude or a “well he ought to be (you fill in the blank)” attitude, we sound a lot like the Pharisee in Jesus’ story about the Tax Collector and Pharisee in Luke 18:9-14. Suffice it to say, Jesus sided with the Tax Collector.
Sometimes it seems that we take great delight in celebrating the downfall of others’ brought on by their sin. Maybe it’s because the louder we speak about someone else’s public sin, we can’t hear the guilt of our own private sin.
A Proper Response
How should we then respond to failures of a public nature? Here are some suggestions.
Silence
The best response may be no response at all. I am learning to ask myself some questions when I am tempted to share my opinion. Is my opinion helpful? Do others want – or better yet NEED – my response? Will my response magnify Jesus or me? Here is some earthshattering news: you don’t have to have an opinion on things that do not involve you.
Brokenness
Jesus teaches us Kingdom followers are poor in Spirit, merciful, and meek. As Kingdom followers we mourn sin. Rather than anger, or as some would try to justify it by calling it “righteous indignation,” our response should be to grieve that the adversary won this time.
Reflection
When Jesus’ disciples gathered around the table for what would be called “The Last Supper,” Jesus indicated one of them would betray Him. Every one of them asked, “Lord, is it I?” They recognized their potential to mess up in a really big way. When others fall, that is a great time to search our heart for weakness that could lead to our fall and ask God to forgive us and fortify us.
Thankfulness
For one thing, I am thankful I am not a public figure. But I am still prone to sin. I am thankful for the grace of God that keeps me from sin when I will yield to the Spirit. And I am thankful for the grace of God that forgives me when I don’t yield to the Spirit but give in to sin. I am thankful that one man’s sin is not greater that One Man’s Sacrifice.
I do not suggest we overlook sin or give someone a pass when they do. But I am suggesting that it is God’s job to handle them. It is my job to try and handle me. And I am a handful. Let’s try to be more gentle and Christlike in our responses to those who fall. Maybe we should heed the wise words of Paul, “…let anyone who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” – 1 Corinthians 10:12
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