Former Blackout Artist

But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
– Matthew 23:23

There’s a kind of attitude prevalent in today’s religious culture in America that I find deeply troubling, and it’s one that our Lord spoke directly to in Matthew 23:23–28.

The Pharisees were very careful about small things, and yet extremely careless about the weightier matters. They looked clean on the outside, but inside something had gone terribly wrong. They were known for proclaiming what they opposed, but not so much for having the heart of God.

I’ve lived long enough to see this same spirit rise and fall in different forms throughout my lifetime. Take our American political culture, for example. People spend far more time proclaiming what they’re against than what they’re for. Long gone are the days when politicians actively campaigned on issues that were important to the average person. Today, it’s all about opposing the other side. It’s become so toxic.

And sadly, Christians are not immune to this. Isn’t it just as easy for us to borrow that tone? To somehow think that our faith is proven by the things we denounce? Unfortunately I see this happening more and more. And when that happens, our identity becomes shaped more by our opposition than by our love for Christ.

But Jesus gave us a different mark. He said that the world would know we are His disciples by our love for one another (John 13:35). Not by our convincing arguments or calling out those we oppose, but by our love.

Does this in anyway minimize the truth? Absolutely not! The truth has always mattered. But truth without love hardens hearts. It tells our neighbors that we’re more concerned with being right than being Christlike. And when that happens, we may win the argument. But we lose something much more important – our witness.

So it’s worth honestly asking ourselves: what am I known for? If people speak my name, do they think first of what I stand against? Or do they see something of the mercy, patience, and love of Jesus?

It’ll be better, in the end, to be known for loving well than for arguing well.

That is the mark our Savior chose.