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Today's Little Lift
by Jim Bullington
“Trying to make sense out of nonsense can drive you crazy!” Have you ever heard this statement? Well, I can testify to the fact that it is true. I guess you can jump one step ahead of me and say, “Ah, so that's what's wrong with you.” Jesus knew that some actions of men just cannot be explained rationally. That is what today's focus text is all about. Let's learn together from it.
“And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him. And the Lord said, 'To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying: “We played the flute for you, And you did not dance; We mourned to you, And you did not weep.” For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, “He has a demon.” The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, “Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!” But wisdom is justified by all her children.'” (Mark 7.29-33).
Look back at the opening line, “Even the tax collectors justified God...” They were the despised class among the Jews, seen as traitors engaging in legalized robbery. Yet, of all people, some of them had heard the clarion call and heeded its message. However, the same could not be said of the Pharisees and lawyers. Of all people, they were in a position to clearly examine the evidence and discern the truth. “But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God...” This was the professional clergy rejecting the will of God while the purported dregs of society gladly embraced God's message of mercy. Go figure! That's trying to make sense out of nonsense!
Jesus responded to this phenomenon by likening their actions to that of capricious children playing amongst themselves. Think back to that time when you were a kid. Observe children about you as they play their games today. Regardless of what the game is, they make their own rules as they go along. Likely as not, they will change the rules to suit their own purposes at the time. Let an authority figure step in and try to settle the matter, and he will be rejected by all sides. They are happy playing by their own rules and could not care less about what the book says about the game! However at some point in time, a dispute will arise among the players and they can be heard pointing the finger of blame at one another. If it had been the game that children played in Jesus' day, they might have been heard to say, “Well if that's the way you are gonna' play, I'll just take my ball and go home!”
Jesus concluded this encounter with an observation; we will do the same. He said, “Wisdom is justified by all her children.” In this figure of speech, wisdom is personified as having children, and all her children say she is right (justified). Actually, that is just another way of saying, “Every way of man is right in his own eyes...” (Proverbs 21.2). Our deeds are the children of our thinking. They always tend to justify the one doing the deed. Even when the actions make no sense to others, it was still right. Blue and white collar workers justify stealing from the company. Politicians justify lying to remain in power. Spouses justify affairs. Bosses justify the mistreatment of employees. Mass murderers justify their darkest deeds by the dark deeds that were perpetrated on them. The list is endless. It is a human trait as old as mankind. Wisdom is justified of all her children!
Only when we see that there is a standard outside ourselves and unfailingly honor that standard can we begin to allow true wisdom to guide our steps. It is then and only then that man can stop doing “...that which is right in his own eyes.”
Questions: publican
1. How were the tax collectors (publicans in the King James Version) viewed by their countrymen?
2. This being the case, how likely would one think it would be for a tax collector to obey God's will? On the other hand, where would the Pharisees and lawyers stand in their propensity to obey God?
3. Is every way of man justified in his own sight? Can you name a single thing that man has done that was not justified by some one at some time (name the “darkest” of sins – incest, rape, slavery, mutilation, etc., etc.)?
4. If man is left to his own thinking has history shown that he will discern and do the right thing?
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