December 15, 2021 (Wednesday)
Late in the 1990’s (yes last century) the American media
coined a word: “spin.” The idea of spin was to make a fact say what the person wanted
it to say. Did you know this was an old problem? Jesus ran into this too.
In Luke 7 Jesus is struggling with the spin doctors. “To what can I
compare the people of this generation?” Jesus asked. “How can I describe them?”
[Luke 7:31 NLT] The thing we have to deal with is consistency. The spin
doctors are not consistent. Consistency is an inconvenient truth.
Jesus noted the behavior as childish. “They are like children playing a game in the
public square. They complain to their friends, ‘We played wedding songs, and
you didn’t dance, so we played funeral songs, and you didn’t weep.’” [Luke 7:32 NLT] They insist on random constructed
truths and complain when people do not dance or weep to their tune.
When describing John the Baptist and Jesus the spin doctors
of Jesus day inconsistently changed the narrative to make the facts fit their preordained
ideal. Jesus accuses, “For John the Baptist didn’t spend his time eating bread or
drinking wine, and you say, ‘He’s possessed by a demon.’” [Luke 7:22 NLT] What would be the spin on someone who
ate and drank? “The
Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton
and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’” [Luke 7:34 NLT]
John the Baptist and Jesus would have been condemned either
way. The outcome was predetermined. The meaning was based on refusal to
believe. Facts were twisted to fit the belief system. Sounds silly, but there
it is…
Jesus pointing out this inconsistency quipped, “But wisdom is proved
right by all her children.” [Luke 7:35
NIV] If John the Baptist had a demon because he did not party and Jesus was a
glutton, a drunkard, and (gasp) a friend of tax collectors and sinners because
he did party, then there is a serious heart issue.
The heart of stone is always willing to accuse others to
hide its own failings. The deceitful and desperately wicked heart of man will
always find a way to squirm out of what inconveniently directs, draws, or drags
us to God. For instance, Christmas.
Christmas remembers the birth of Jesus. As far as I’m
concerned, the exact day doesn’t really matter. What matters is we celebrate
God personally entering human history. We call this “incarnate.” God became
flesh.
To spin and squirm out of that simple fact, we have to make
Christmas about other things: stuff, family, feeling good. The enemy of your
soul wants you to substitute good things for the best thing. I’ll let you in on
a secret. Truth is not about spin, or personal truth, or construct, it’s about
a person. “Jesus
told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father
except through me.” [John 14:6 NLT]
Merry CHRISTmas…
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