The Danger of Success

Luke 12:1-2 - In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.     Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.”

I have been around long enough to see a very frightening trend. Some gifted, talent people start out with sincere motives and passion to make a difference. They work hard, develop their skills, and build teams that multiply their impact. Before long, everyone around begins to success the results of their efforts: the organization grows, the profits increase, the fame spreads. These gifted young influencers are encouraged by the praise of those around them. The adrenaline rush of tangible success and popularity fuel them to push harder without a break. The crowds grow. The fame spreads. Soon the world takes note. At some point along the way, though, those young (or formerly young) zealots face a question: “Who am I, really?”

For some, the answer is, “I must be the best ever. Look at my success! If this many people say I am all that, surely it must be true. I cannot fail.” With their feelings of invulnerability, these people make often make compromises.

Others give the opposite answer to their question: “I am not who all these people think I am. If they find out the truth, I am finished. I have to work hard keep up the act so no one ever finds out the truth.” Some burn out, some get caught in breaches of integrity, and some lose the confidence to lead as the perception gets further from reality.

This is not a new problem. In the verses above, when the crowds were exploding, then Jesus warned his disciples. Notice the word “first.” In Greek this is an adverb, referring to the timing of Jesus’ warning and its priority. Your integrity is more important than your success. However, there is also the sense that Jesus warned his “first” disciples. They were with him before the crowds came. They saw the success. They were at risk of the same thing successful leaders today are: hypocrisy, which literally means putting on an act.

Jesus gives a clear warning to those who start to believe their own press. The act won’t work. You will get caught. The indiscretion will go public. Instead, be a person of integrity. Be yourself. Be humble. Work hard, but remember if you succeed in the world’s eyes, you are just one more human.

Not Me! Right?

Luke 11:45 - One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.”

How do you respond to criticism? When someone points out an error you have made, what is your first reaction? Is it anger? Is it a feeling of insult? Is it instead finding fault with the one who pointed out the errors? Perhaps you judge them back because you perceive their motives are hostile or, at the very least, they are unworthy to point out any errors in you because of all the errors in their own lives. Granted, not all criticisms are well founded, and we dare not make ourselves slaves of public opinion, but too often we are unwilling to listen when our faults are pointed out. Even if we do listen, it is even rarer that we act on them.

In the last half of Luke 11, Jesus begins to point out the errors in the Pharisees’ thinking, motives, and behavior. Like far too many of us, they did not take that criticism well. In verse 45 above, one of the experts in the Jewish law said they were “insulted.” Yet, Jesus did not back down. He showed them that their unwillingness to evaluate the truth of his words and the error of their ways put them in a state of extreme guilt. Even then, they were unwilling to listen, let alone change. The chapter ends with them plotting together to try to trap Jesus in his words in a way that would give them grounds to execute him.

When someone points out something you can improve, do not immediately jump to offense or anger. Listen carefully. Determine any truth in their words. Evaluate your own actions, thoughts, and motives. Change anything that needs to be changed. Remember: you will never improve if you are not willing to receive correction.

Give to God and Others

Luke 11:42 – “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.”

When walking on a very narrow trail, it is easy to fall to one side or the other. So much in life is about the tension of staying balanced. The same is true in our efforts to give and serve. Some believers can get very focused on their personal relationship with God and pour all of their energy, effort, and contribution toward him as an act of worship. Others see the real needs of people around them, or even around the world, and pour their efforts into bringing social justice and relief. It is not uncommon for those in one camp to label the other as being in error. Yet, Jesus is clear. Whichever side you are on, these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.

We need to tithe to God while still helping those who cannot help themselves. Beyond this, Jesus has another, deeper concern in the surrounding verses: Why do you do what you do? Part of his beef with the Pharisees is that they did their good works not from a true heart of worship toward God or compassion toward other people. They did their good works to be noticed by others. Their self-worth came from being better and more prestigious than those around them, Instead, Jesus said, “You are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.”  (Luke 11:44) The very glory from other people they craved from others was instead exchanged for death and anonymity.

May God help us each serve others and worship him from a pure heart.

Watch How You Watch

Luke 11:34-36 – Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.”

Have you ever noticed how two people can view the exact same situation in two completely different ways? When laid off from a job, one person gets bitter, gets a gun, and shoots his previous employer. Another is disappointed, but understands the realities of business, and takes the opportunity to pursue a new career. Ten years later the first is in jail and the second is a successful manager, far better off than if she had stayed with the first firm.

So much of our wellbeing in life is not determined by what happens to us but by how we view it. In this passage, Jesus says how our eye sees determines what our whole body is like. The difference is how we look. Is it evil or pure?  The word translated healthy in the ESV above in Greek is aplous. It means sincere, genuine, with no selfish hidden agenda. The concept of the evil eye is still strong in the Middle East. You cannot go anywhere in Turkey without seeing a nazar – a blue, white, and black talisman designed to keep people with jealousy and selfish ulterior motives away.

Jesus is not urging us to get trinkets to change the motives of others. Instead, he commands us to watch our own eyes. Selfish prejudging of others’ motives will only cause us greater pain throughout our lives. Look for the good. Instead of seeing that person who cut you off in traffic, stole your phone, or lied about you to your boss as pure evil, see them as a wounded person in desperate need of grace, just like you and me.

No Pander Zone

Luke 11:29 – When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation.”

Current marketing and business strategies urge us to capitalize on our success. When our buzz gets hot, we need to pour more fuel on the fire and use that momentum to propel us to even further growth. We can hear what people ask for and give it to them to win them over. Sometimes this is fine and even wise. When people came to Jesus seeking healing and deliverance, he gave it out of a heart of compassion and to demonstrate the reality and power of the Kingdom of God. However, we can go to the extreme of seeking to pander to people’s whining to the point that it compromises our message and cripples our mission.

Jesus was never afraid to risk his popularity to speak the truth. Notice this passage: At the very time the crowds were increasing, he called them an evil generation. Why did he do that? In the next sentence he said, “An evil generation seeks a sign.” A few verses earlier Jesus had just completed another sign by delivering a man from demonization. As incredible as it was, it was not enough. No number of amazing, miraculous signs probably would have been enough. Jesus ultimately says the “sign of Jonah” would be the final sign he would give, and it would not be enough. Matthew’s account tells us that Jesus was referring to his three days in the tomb followed by his resurrection, fitting the pattern of Jonah’s three days in the fish. As incredible as his resurrection that first Easter was, most still did not believe.

Once we fall into the trap of pandering to whining, there will never be enough we can do to feed that hunger. We need to love, care, and serve but not to boost our popularity and not in slavery to public opinion. 

Live Through Yourself

Luke 11:27-28 – As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

If you are a parent, I am sure you want the best for your children. Most of us genuinely want to see them succeed because we sincerely love them and want them to have a good life. However, it is tempting to live through our children and measure our status and self-worth by their achievements. Think of the sacrifices the parents of Olympians had to make to get their athlete children there. When the camera comes on them as they cheer in the stands, do they not have the right to feel proud? Is not their child’s success do in large part to their efforts?

I am sure the woman in this bible passage meant well. She was probably a mother with high hopes for her own son. She imagined how proud she would have been if she was Mary watching the growing crowds cheering on her son. Yet, Jesus corrects her as he does us. It is not our status or position that makes us great. It is not our title or the achievements of our children. Hearing and obeying God’s word is what Jesus says really matters. Let’s not base our self-esteem on living through others. Let’s live through ourselves.

Spiritual Geography

Luke 11:24-26 – “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”

These words of Jesus, recorded in both the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, have always fascinated me. Before I dive into their more subtle implications, let’s be sure we understand the context and the main reason Jesus said them. He had just exorcised a demon from a man, something he often did in his ministry. These words are a warning that once the demon is out, he may return, bringing more demons with him, making things worse than before. In other words: Get the house filled with something good. If you have been exorcised, invite Jesus to dwell with you. The absence of evil is not our ultimate goal as much as the full presence of good.

Although Jesus did not tell us everything we might like to know, he gave some insight about demons and how they function: 1) They are located within set geographical locations (“it passes through waterless ­”), 2) They desire dwelling places (“seeking rest”), 3) They are in relationship and able to communicate with other demons (“it brings seven other demons”), 4) There is a hierarchy of evil (“more evil than itself” – Read C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters), 5) They prefer to occupy people, 6) They can reoccupy people, and 7) They can be cast out.

To most in the Western World, demons are fine in movies, but we do not give much thought to their reality. Yet, they are a real force that can affect people in severe ways. Please make sure your house is not just cleaned, but also filled with the Spirit of God.