Editorial
By Marjorie Kinnee
The raising of Lazarus from the dead caused many of the Jews to
"believe on Jesus." (John 12:11) This included many chief rulers. Yet in the same chapter we read,
"...because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God." (John 12:42-43) What a dilemma! Knowing to do good but fearful that someone or something will be lost if you persist in the good you know to do. This crux is common to man, but it begs the question; who's validating you?
Popular opinion is weighty. Popular opinion is a salesman. The idea of what others will think accomplishes everything from correcting childish behavior to the latest polling data on the presidential elections. Politicians of all persuasions would have you think everybody and his cousin will be voting for them. It's the "pack" mentality. Know this, peer pressure is not reserved for teen angst only.
But there are three major problems with popular opinion. 1.)
fickleness - will o'the wisp, here today and gone tomorrow. No staying ability. 2.)
polluted wells - popular opinion depends on word of mouth. But if you've ever played the "gossip" game, you've seen how word of mouth can become twisted and polluted in just a few forwards. Social media has crystallized the gossip game into a corrupted art form. You cannot get pure water from a polluted well. 3.)
cisterns - cisterns are reservoirs, holding tanks for fluids, usually water. They have no constant source of refreshing. Once corrupted, the corruption stays until the tank is emptied, scrubbed, bleached, rinsed and refilled. Without a drainage system and a source of renewal the cistern is going to stagnate, becoming a breeding ground for all sorts of foul critters and gunk.
Validation by every other earthly yardstick, (be it education, wealth, health, fame, beauty, material possessions, achievements, physical prowess and/or strength,) is still shallow at best and ephemeral always. If the source of your validation is weighted down with man's opinions, prejudices, and evaluations it can only reproduce more of the same. This flesh is never far from its genepool. What's more, we pass that genepool onward. We can do nothing else.
Even in the church, where the saints of the Most High congregate, there is a danger. It's comparing ourselves amongst ourselves. Who's the best, who's the greatest, who's the most educated, who's the most charismatic;
"I am of Paul, I am of Apollos, I am of Cephas..." We seek to elevate ourselves by our accomplishments; what we know, who we know, and with whom we associate. What's worse, we consider ourselves a failure if we cannot measure up to someone else's yardstick. Paul said such comparisons are not wise. All they engender is a missed mark. In short, seeking men's applause is an exercise in leaning your ladder against the wrong wall. If you climb to the very top of the ladder, you're still in the wrong place. Jesus said,
"What is a man profited if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?"
Paul's
"pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus" aims the ladder in the right direction. When Jesus is your focal point, your example, and your reward, you're on target. After all - what is better than HIS smile of approval? Do you think that, as you stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ, you can be certified by anything other than what HE saw and recorded? And, if you get to hear HIM say,
"Well done! thou good and faithful servant. Enter thou into the joys of your Lord! Is that not the greatest validation anyone could ever receive?
