The holiday season is family time. In our highly mobile society, we often get time off to fly "home" to see the relatives, etc. I think this is one of the great opportunities of the Christmas holiday in our society. In spite of all the marketing, hustle, and materialism, there is still a deep sense of appreciation for the family embedded within it. At this time of year we often take time to acknowledge and show appreciation for our wives, kids, parents, friends, and others.
However good this is, there is an inherent temptation for sin within it. It is the sin of partiality and self-centered love. The holiday season often becomes that time of year where in our rush to do our shopping and get our "list" checked we are often a bit ruder to the people we don't know so we can be a bit nicer to the people we do know. In our impatience to get and serve the people we immediately value, we are often impatient and devaluing of the people we do not know--like the girl behind the counter, the people in the parking lot, or just anyone who is taking up our precious time. But look at Jesus' words here in Matthew 5:43-48, You have heard that it was said, 'You should love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect as you heavenly Father is perfect.
These words say a lot. They represent the radically different social and spiritual ethic of Jesus. For all of us, we have a default posture to side with and protect those whom we know rather than the principles of justice and equality. But for Jesus, true friendship and godliness is a posture that seeks the best for every person one meets. Look at verse 46 in particular. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Basically he is asking, if you only love those whom it benefits you to love, what eternal reward do you have coming? Another way to state this is that if you live with partiality in your relationships, God will condemn you in the judgement day.
I think we can all remember a case back in high school or college where a close friend of ours was in conflict with someone else and we sided with our friend for no other reason than we were their friend. In fact, we knew they were wrong in the situation but we found ways to rationalize it in our mind. That is what is called partiality and ultimately injustice. It is when we put relational capital over actual truth and equity.
This partiality in our relationships is what I call "the great holiday sin." It is when we are so consumed with showing appreciation of our friends and family that we act impatient, or plain unjust to the people we do not know well. But let's take this a step further. After reading this you may this week encounter a person doing exactly this to you in a store, parking lot, etc. The tendency is to judge them and say, "Oh there is an example of what Todd was talking about." But the Gospel is more radical than that. The act of judging that impatient or perhaps cruel person who is being rude to us is the same sin. Remember Jesus' words above call us to love our enemies. What he is saying is that we are not called to merely be kind, patient, and loving to those who treat us well, but those who mistreat us. That means that when someone this Christmas season hurrying to get homes gives you the turtle dove we call "the bird," acting without partiality is to not merely turn the other cheek, but to bless them, pray for them, and if possible, apologize for being in their way. Thrust me, that will take a lot more spiritual discipline than doling out what you think they deserve. Jesus' words are pretty radical: But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. Let's live as sons of our Father in heaven this season.
No comments:
Post a Comment