February 27, 2005

Reproved

“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.”

EVERYBODY loves a mystery. A good movie murder mystery captures our attention for a couple of hours, and a good mystery book for hours longer. It's not knowing that intrigues us, having clue after clue presented, in perhaps a deceptive order, some clues not relevant, some misleading, that eggs us on and keeps us guessing along with the brilliant detective. But it would be no good at all if, after watching our movie, after reading the whole book, that no solution to the mystery came to light. If we never find out whodunit, never hear why and how it was committed, the story is unrewarding and we're disappointed.

When I started serving the Chico Police as a chaplain, there were no unsolved murders in all of Chico's history. That remained a fact for years, even when the murder of a motel manager went unsolved for about a year. Today there are, I believe, two unsolved murders and we're not getting any closer to an arrest of the killer. Investigations probably has its suspects, may even know whodunit, but can't bring a case sufficient for conviction, so we may never know the answer.

While we love a mystery, we love it for its solution as well as for the puzzle it first presents us with. The successful TV series Law and Order took it one step further by following cases through court where the guilty often went free due to matters beyond the powers of the New York district attorneys. But the murderers who walked were exposed. The exposure kept us watching.

Exposure, solutions, finding what was once lost, discovery of lost treasure form the basis for many of our fictional as well as real life dramas. The finding of the Titanic on the ocean floor several years ago launched a movie and an unsuccessful attempt to float a portion of the great ship to the surface. Finding is more exciting, and more fruitful than losing.

A man once lost his keys at the curb of a city sidewalk. He began looking with care in the gutter under the light of a light post. A second man walking by asked if he needed help, and together they continued looking for the lost keys. The Good Samaritan finally asked the key question. “Where exactly were you when you dropped your keys? We've been searching for 20 minutes and I don't think they're here.” “I dropped them over there,” replied the man, pointing about half a block away. “Well, how do you expect us to find your keys here ~f you dropped them over there? Why not look there?” the helpful man asked, now completely exasperated. “You dummy!” cried the misfortunate man. “How can I look over there? It's midnight and it's pitch dark where I dropped my keys. I need to look here where there's light!”

Light brings disclosure of what was lost, what lies hidden, the solution to our mysteries. Therefore light is good. If the light uncovers something wrong, something evil, something that causes trouble or pain, the problem is not with the light but with what the light shows our eyes. Don't blame the x-ray for the cavity in your teeth. Don't blame the camera for what it shows about your waistline. Don't blame the Bible for what it says about sin. Don't blame Jesus or the Holy Spirit who have brought light into this world and have shown us why we need a Savior.

Saul was traveling to Damascus to capture Christians for persecution. Jesus appeared to him in a blinding light. Saul, who became St. Paul, later gave this account: “And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.” Acts 26:15-18 We have been given the light so that we might become light for others. Jesus said, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glonfy your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14- 16

When light discloses a problem, biblical language says the trouble has been reproved,” a word that means exposed or shown up as a failing or sin. Whenever God appears, sin is reproved, for God is the greatest light of all, and He is totally pure. Sin is only an attempt to thwart God's will, to pervert truth, to lie, to take what isn't ours. When such a crime is uncovered, the mystery is solved. We may cringe in a corners, hiss out angry accusations or excuses and feel picked on. We can instead rejoice that we've finally been found out and now our troubles can be ended, resolved, forgiven, restored.

The criminal (us) never lives with his or her crimes easily. The worst thing for any of us is to get away with something that is wrong. Imagine the culprits in our two unsolved murders: they have to live with the fact they murdered someone. They may tell themselves how it was the other guy's fault, or how they had to do it, but it won't wash. When we're guilty of a crime or sin, when we've done wrong and we know it, the knowledge of our misdemeanor eats away at us and peace eludes our hearts and minds. We can drink or drug it away, for a while. We can hide from God and the cops. But we live our lives in the dark, worrying about being discovered, fearing every sound, every word that might guess anywhere close to our guilty secret. I remember riding with a particularly zealous cop one night after midnight when, looking at the cars around us she said: “Ifigure that anybody who's out this late is doing something wrong!”

Jesus came to bring light, and with His light he exposes the things hidden in darkness. It is a welcome disclosure. Isaiah wrote of Him 7 centuries earlier, anticipating the advent of a righteous judge: “. . . and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.” Isaiah 11:3-4 When crooked judges and evil authorities have reigned for most of your lifetime, you will yearn for judges and police officers that arrest the wicked and lock up criminals at last. When all of mankind has run away from God, rejecting His rule over their lives, this earth can become hell and good people long for light and disclosure, judgment and power from on high to expose and convict evil.

We all know the verse of how “God so loved the world.” The following verse says: “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” Which is also comforting. What follows is exposure: “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. An this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made man fest, that they are wrought in God.” John 3:16-21 We don't always welcome truth and light when we've been hiding our sins for years and making up a nice story about who we are for those we seek to please. We keep this legend up and fear exposure, fearing the idea of being reproved. The early Christians knew they'd been saved from lives of sin into a new life where these failings were forgiven and could be left behind. St. Paul would often exhort them not to go back into darkness. “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.” He reminds them of what it was like in the dark, and how they are no longer children of darkness, but of light. The Spirit of God has given them goodness, and goodness feels so much better than sin. He then admonishes them to “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove (or expose) them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.” We are so ashamed of certain things we do that we can't call them by name. In this city, many evil things are commonplace, but are seldom even named. If we name them, we are light exposing the evil. We shouldn't be blamed for what we uncover, or hated for bringing light. “But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.”

Christ is the light that lit every one of our lives at conception. He brings light again. Light is native to us, but having lived in darkness, its brightness hurts our eyes. Stay in the light a little while so that, growing accustomed to it, we will see things that shouldn't be there. This is being reproved. It can save your soul. Welcome it.

PFH+