Those Sinners!
“Do you think that these Galileans were sinners beyond all the Galileans?” Luke 13:2
Beyond – How do we know who is really a sinner? Well, the answer is obvious, isn’t it? We just look how they died. If they were really bad, then they die in horrible ways. After all, God doesn’t punish the righteous. They die after long and useful lives in peace and calm assurance. But those sinners – God gets them in the end. They suffer because they deserve it.
That’s the kind of thinking that people expressed to Yeshua in this event. Some Galileans were sacrificed by the Roman oppressors. They died horribly. Even after death, their remains were defiled. So, they must have been very bad people. Yeshua rejects such foolishness. In fact, He goes even further. He says unless we repent, we deserve no better death than these. Yeshua confronts this religious bigotry and demands a personal accounting before a holy God. In the end, we are all Galileans.
It’s so easy for us to employ the “sin meter.” We are desperate to find someone who is worse than we are and boost ourselves up in the process. We rank sins in order to gain ground toward righteousness. So, we end up with mortal sins, venial sins and other hierarchies of sinfulness (Dante suggested ten levels). Why is a “white” lie less hideous than sexual infidelity? Why do we distinguish between petty theft and grand larceny? The answers are obvious and hidden at the same time. We make these distinctions because the impact on others, society and the state are different. But at the same time, we allow these differences in impact to divert us from the real standard – holiness – under which all sins have equally disastrous consequences. It’s perfectly proper to distinguish differences in the impact of sinful behavior, but it is never appropriate to use those differences to justify my sinfulness. God Himself denotes the differences in consequences of sinful acts for the society of Israel, but He makes no distinctions whatsoever when it comes to personal accountability before Him. We must do the same. We must resist with all that we are the temptation to count others greater sinners than we are. We must fight the temptation to rank sins instead of consequences.
Luke uses the Greek words para pantos. Literally, these mean above all. Translated this way, we see the issue is ranking sins according to some measure. Yeshua rejects all this. Without repentance, every sin brings death. The playing field is level. But Yeshua was torah observant and the torah clearly distinguishes between the earthly consequences of sins. There is no contradiction here as long as we recognize the proper context. There should be no contradiction in our lives either. We know the difference between stealing a penny and stealing ten million pennies. But we also know the essence of the act is the same. Except for the grace of God, we are all para pantos sinners. Never let it be said of you and me that we did not identify completely with someone else because he or she was a “great” sinner.
Topical Index: sin, sinner, para pantos, Luke 13:2
Amen brother Skip! It is written: “for all have sinned.” And now for the thought juices to flow.. (greek style, hebrew style, chinese style.- add your own..) What does this mean? What exactly does “all” mean? (We won’t discuss the meaning of “is” at this point- we’ll save this “goody” for later!) Is there a remote possibility here that “all” actually means “all?” Does G-d actually say what He means and mean what He says? If.. (and this is a big “if”) G-d’s word is true and trustworthy (is it?), and “all” actually is an inclusive word..small but encompassing.. then I must say and agree with what is written in this Book- “I have sinned”. Now then.. what do to about this? Houston.. we have a problem.. “sin”. If G-d is holy (and He is) and we are “sinners”, and we are… how do we reconcile the two? Defilement and purity cannot coexist together. If G-d (who is holy) wants a relationship with man (who is a sinner).., He must make a way for this to occur. According to the book- if we are sinners (all have sinned) and G-d is holy (as it is written) what can we do about this? Should we wring our hands and stay up nights waiting for G-d to pounce on us and destroy us? That strange looking creature I shave every day is a sinner that wants to know His creator. Is there any hope for him? Can anyone show him the way? What can wash away my sin? What can make me “whole” again? Can I be restored to a right relationship with the One who gives me my breath? Is there a way? Is there any hope for me?
Hey Carl,
When you look in the mirror and see yourself, don’t you see all others as well?
Isn’t that what Jean Paul Sartre shows us in “No Exit;” that Hell is other people?
That we are all condemned to live with a fundamental desire to live in bad faith?
But he also tells us that we are free and therefore responsible for our every act.
No wonder Sartre called his first “existential” novel, Nausea.
Things looked pretty grim after the Holocaust.
But we are still free to accept our “nothingness;” and “do the right thing.”
the prayer G-d always will hear-
“GOD BE MERCIFUL TO ME, A SINNER”
“And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up unto the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” (Luke 18:9-14)
I’m sure the blog is a little slower with school back in session. Thanks for these insights into sin. The topic has been mentioned often over the last week or so in messages and devotions. What became evident to me were the following passages. Matt. 18 “…If a brother sins..” 1 Cor. 5:9-11 “I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; …I {did} not at all {mean} with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler–not even to eat with such a one. ”
I’m not sure about the translation. Am I reading correctly that Paul is saying not to deal with sin outside of the local ecclesia ? I’m having trouble with the comment he makes “..for then you would have to go out of the world.”
I can accept lost sinful friends? and eat with sinners? but not with those of the Way if in fact sinful? This, in my opinion is dire. It changes a lot about how we view the church and who evangelism works.