In Matthew 24:12, Jesus looks into the future and makes this prophetic observation: “Because lawlessness (evil) will be multiplied, the love of many will grow cold.” It appears an odd pairing. Lawlessness is always in need of love. It would seem that the more there is of evil, the more opportunities there are for love; thus, more love in the world. That is simple, linear math.
Jesus says just the opposite. The more that lawlessness increases in the world the more it wears down and eventually wears out love. Lawlessness becomes a 360 enclosure that snuffs and suffocates. What He is almost saying is that evil will triumph over love. Darth Vader will be Lord of the Universe. The “Overman” from the novel, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, by Friedrich Nietzsche, will finally triumph. It is sobering. It is an uncharacteristically defeatist statement from the lips of the One whose stated purpose was to come save the world.
The next statement by Jesus does little to improve the dismal mood: “But the one who endures to the end will be delivered.” Because Jesus has already marked out the diminishing supply of love in the previous verse, we can only assume that the chief characteristic of those who endure to the end are those who still manage to practice love – in spite of whatever manner of evil they happen to encounter.
So let’s dial it forward. Do we live in evil and lawless times? Yes. Are the present evil/lawless times more pronounced than other times in history? It is hard to say. But what we can all agree upon is that, in our day, we are exposed to an exponential amount of evil/lawlessness every time we sit in front of a blinking cursor. The age of information – the ability to see almost every part of our world in real time – exposes us to massive doses of “the lesser angels” of this world each second. It is, in Jesus’ words, “An increase in lawlessness.” And it does put a strain on our ability to love. At least it does mine.
Let’s talk politics for just a moment. I am not out to parse any particular political philosophy for its endemic wickedness. For the record, I am weary of them all. (Has my love grown cold)? I just wish to raise this question: Have you noticed how angry everyone seems to be? Objective truths about how we arrived at our current financial crisis are thrown into the ditch because objectivity is not a useful tool. The tools that are wielded - which have a more immediate sound-bite advantage than the droll recitation of facts - are: histrionics, hyperbole, and outright whoppers of lies. For all practical purposes we function under a two-party system, with the Green Party, the Libertarian Party, and the Communist Party being statistical non-entities. Because we “practically” have only the two choices, most of us lean slightly or lean hard one way or another. But what does a good Republican make of the fact that our government's reach and debt has grown more under a Republican administration than all of the New Dealers combined? And what does an honest Democrat make of the fact that “the facts” surrounding the subprime mortgage crisis was due to Democratic leadership being cozied up to and benefitting from major Wall Street fat-cats? (Even Saturday Night Live pointed out this anomaly in their skit entitled Fannie/Freddie – much to the chagrin of George Soros). Everyone lies. And it seems everyone lies about lying. And, the world’s economy is going down in flames while everyone tells more lies. Lawlessness is indeed increased – and on a global scale. Bank accounts are not the only thing being drained; so too our deposits of love.
I have only mentioned politics. I could wax on and on about other manifestations of evil: terrorism; mass starvation; blood diamonds; globalization; the resurgent Dallas Cowboys, McDonald’s “Gourmet” coffee – you name it. Each could produce a lifetime of wrathful rants. But, let’s move on…
Unless you’re dead or truly demented, you probably noticed a shift in my tone three sentences ago. In spelling out examples of increases in evil/lawlessness, I mentioned McDonalds “Gourmet” coffee and the resurgent Dallas Cowboys. Why? - To slow you down…to make you smile…to open a relief valve.
Humor is, I believe, a gift from God. And, I also believe that it is a handmaiden to love. Humor can be misused. Much that is purported to be humor on the Comedy Channel is little more than grown men acting out ribald, junior high, locker room refuse. It is a form of humor lower than the lowly pun. That, and bitter sarcasm are the preferred methods of comedic relief employed by popular culture. It is not uplifting, it is debasing.
No, what I am talking about is much different. The humor that God injects for the benefit of humanity and expressed through the human instrument is diffusive in nature. Through humor, God deconstructs tough circumstances and puts them into a kingdom perspective.
One day, Jesus was approached by a group of religious big-shots who were trying to get Jesus into trouble. Their question was well thought-out. “Is it lawful (for us Jews) to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” If He answered one way, it would bring down the wrath of the people who were beginning to follow His teaching. They despised the oppressive, occupational government. If He answered it another way, He would be found guilty of insurrection by the Roman occupiers. Either way, He was cooked. It was similar in kind to the old joke line asked to an innocent man by a clever divorce attorney: “So, are you still beating your wife?”
We are so used to reading this story that we miss the drama and the humor. Jesus asks for a coin. They bring Him a Roman issued denarius. He looks at the coin and says: “Hmmm…uh…nice…So, whose picture is on this coin? “ The big-shots answer. Jesus responds, “Well I guess it belongs to this guy then. If he wants it back, I guess he can have it. Oh, and by the way – whose image is stamped on you?” “Rumble, rumble…we are made in God’s image!’” “Alrighty then – God wants what is His – so give it to Him.” Beautiful.
The kingdom of which Jesus spoke is a kingdom of light. Light is not only a contrast to darkness, light is a contrast to heaviness. If something is light it is neither dark nor heavy. As kingdom people, our hearts should be light. Our hope is not in the kingdoms of this world. As they have been, so shall they always be; vis a vis, a major disappointment. Our call is higher, holier, and to be honest – more fun – to bring “to light” and "to the light" the heaviness of our day.
Jesus says just the opposite. The more that lawlessness increases in the world the more it wears down and eventually wears out love. Lawlessness becomes a 360 enclosure that snuffs and suffocates. What He is almost saying is that evil will triumph over love. Darth Vader will be Lord of the Universe. The “Overman” from the novel, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, by Friedrich Nietzsche, will finally triumph. It is sobering. It is an uncharacteristically defeatist statement from the lips of the One whose stated purpose was to come save the world.
The next statement by Jesus does little to improve the dismal mood: “But the one who endures to the end will be delivered.” Because Jesus has already marked out the diminishing supply of love in the previous verse, we can only assume that the chief characteristic of those who endure to the end are those who still manage to practice love – in spite of whatever manner of evil they happen to encounter.
So let’s dial it forward. Do we live in evil and lawless times? Yes. Are the present evil/lawless times more pronounced than other times in history? It is hard to say. But what we can all agree upon is that, in our day, we are exposed to an exponential amount of evil/lawlessness every time we sit in front of a blinking cursor. The age of information – the ability to see almost every part of our world in real time – exposes us to massive doses of “the lesser angels” of this world each second. It is, in Jesus’ words, “An increase in lawlessness.” And it does put a strain on our ability to love. At least it does mine.
Let’s talk politics for just a moment. I am not out to parse any particular political philosophy for its endemic wickedness. For the record, I am weary of them all. (Has my love grown cold)? I just wish to raise this question: Have you noticed how angry everyone seems to be? Objective truths about how we arrived at our current financial crisis are thrown into the ditch because objectivity is not a useful tool. The tools that are wielded - which have a more immediate sound-bite advantage than the droll recitation of facts - are: histrionics, hyperbole, and outright whoppers of lies. For all practical purposes we function under a two-party system, with the Green Party, the Libertarian Party, and the Communist Party being statistical non-entities. Because we “practically” have only the two choices, most of us lean slightly or lean hard one way or another. But what does a good Republican make of the fact that our government's reach and debt has grown more under a Republican administration than all of the New Dealers combined? And what does an honest Democrat make of the fact that “the facts” surrounding the subprime mortgage crisis was due to Democratic leadership being cozied up to and benefitting from major Wall Street fat-cats? (Even Saturday Night Live pointed out this anomaly in their skit entitled Fannie/Freddie – much to the chagrin of George Soros). Everyone lies. And it seems everyone lies about lying. And, the world’s economy is going down in flames while everyone tells more lies. Lawlessness is indeed increased – and on a global scale. Bank accounts are not the only thing being drained; so too our deposits of love.
I have only mentioned politics. I could wax on and on about other manifestations of evil: terrorism; mass starvation; blood diamonds; globalization; the resurgent Dallas Cowboys, McDonald’s “Gourmet” coffee – you name it. Each could produce a lifetime of wrathful rants. But, let’s move on…
Unless you’re dead or truly demented, you probably noticed a shift in my tone three sentences ago. In spelling out examples of increases in evil/lawlessness, I mentioned McDonalds “Gourmet” coffee and the resurgent Dallas Cowboys. Why? - To slow you down…to make you smile…to open a relief valve.
Humor is, I believe, a gift from God. And, I also believe that it is a handmaiden to love. Humor can be misused. Much that is purported to be humor on the Comedy Channel is little more than grown men acting out ribald, junior high, locker room refuse. It is a form of humor lower than the lowly pun. That, and bitter sarcasm are the preferred methods of comedic relief employed by popular culture. It is not uplifting, it is debasing.
No, what I am talking about is much different. The humor that God injects for the benefit of humanity and expressed through the human instrument is diffusive in nature. Through humor, God deconstructs tough circumstances and puts them into a kingdom perspective.
One day, Jesus was approached by a group of religious big-shots who were trying to get Jesus into trouble. Their question was well thought-out. “Is it lawful (for us Jews) to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” If He answered one way, it would bring down the wrath of the people who were beginning to follow His teaching. They despised the oppressive, occupational government. If He answered it another way, He would be found guilty of insurrection by the Roman occupiers. Either way, He was cooked. It was similar in kind to the old joke line asked to an innocent man by a clever divorce attorney: “So, are you still beating your wife?”
We are so used to reading this story that we miss the drama and the humor. Jesus asks for a coin. They bring Him a Roman issued denarius. He looks at the coin and says: “Hmmm…uh…nice…So, whose picture is on this coin? “ The big-shots answer. Jesus responds, “Well I guess it belongs to this guy then. If he wants it back, I guess he can have it. Oh, and by the way – whose image is stamped on you?” “Rumble, rumble…we are made in God’s image!’” “Alrighty then – God wants what is His – so give it to Him.” Beautiful.
The kingdom of which Jesus spoke is a kingdom of light. Light is not only a contrast to darkness, light is a contrast to heaviness. If something is light it is neither dark nor heavy. As kingdom people, our hearts should be light. Our hope is not in the kingdoms of this world. As they have been, so shall they always be; vis a vis, a major disappointment. Our call is higher, holier, and to be honest – more fun – to bring “to light” and "to the light" the heaviness of our day.
