“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Matt 4.17).

Moloch statue from Giovanni Pastrone‘s Cabiria (1914), National Museum of Cinema (Turin).

Introduction

I want to state at the onset that this post is not an attack on anyone in particular, though if it must be interpreted in such a contentious way, then rest assured that I am in the crosshairs myself. I have not shied away from tackling difficult themes in this blog, even when they hit too close for comfort for yours truly. Therefore, as God works in me, as I continue to “work out” my salvation (sanctification) with “fear and trembling” (humility and reverence), my heart is troubled. A counterfeit love that has worked its way into Christendom, certainly inroads into Western Christianity, and as much as I might wish to point a finger at any number of culprits, I must, likewise, acknowledge that I am part of the problem. In other words, I have yeast on my hands! 

Syncretism

The ancient Canaanites ritually sacrificed their young, as a part of worshiping the deity Molech, and the Israelites would later be seduced into taking part in this horror show. How could hearts have been so hardened? I wonder how it was that so many people chose to engage in such a gruesome practice? How could a people, any people, grow so desensitized, whether in participation or in apathy? Might I blame my twenty-first century, Western vantagepoint for my quandary here, in the same way that I might to bridge other distances between my world and the world of the biblical text? That could get tricky. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jer 1:5, ESV).[1] Although this passage is directed to Jeremiah specifically, a message that reverberates throughout Scripture is that we are known even before we are formed in our mother’s womb.

With regard to the ancient practice of human sacrifice, in particular, the biblical accounts of child sacrifice: “There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering” (Deut 18:10a); wherein, other translations render “offering” as “pass through the fire” indicating child sacrifice. In fact, alters in the image of Molech with outstretched arms were made of bronze, which when heated red-hot, children were placed onto the arms of the alter and burnt to death. What is more, some sources indicate that a child might also be “passed through the fire” prior to the actual sacrifice as a purification rite. Honestly, I have no idea how anyone could sink to such a state of depravity so as to engage in such a gruesome practice, but I do know that the opportune situation, often heart wrenching, often desperate, always manages to present itself, an extreme case, a point from which to inspire a rallying cry that seizes our emotions and ultimately leads us astray. Satan knows exactly what he is doing and is not opposed to exploiting our desperation, our guilt, and our fear, and the consequences can echo for generations, and we see it happening today. Perhaps, the author of Judges comes close to answering how such a thing might come to pass, at least where the people of God become concerned. The writer sums up precisely why that period was such a miserable time: “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (17:6; 21:25). We might call it prudence today.

The problem for much of the Book of Judges is syncretism: the attempt to fuse the worship of Yahweh with that of other deities.[2] “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” could easily be applied to the state of the modern church, and I am not singling out hotly debated points of tension, like pro-abortion or the radical LGBT and transgender movements, though these are certainly not excluded from the discussion, but believers are doing what seems right in their own eyes in many other ways and have been doing so for quite some time. Consider the number of evangelicals who aptly stand on Scripture with regard to same sex unions, while blatantly ignoring, within the very same breath, Paul’s equal condemnation of adultery (cf. 1 Cor 6:9,10; for adultery see also Matt 5; 19; 1 Cor 7). My personal theory is that all the political and social unrest that we are experiencing today is not because some new evil has emerged onto the scene, but rather, the evil that has been there all along is simply stepping out of the shadows.

Godly Inclusion

“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Matt 4.17). Jesus did not become a tax collector to appeal to tax collectors or become a prostitute to appeal to prostitutes. He did not become greedy to appeal to the greedy or become religious to appeal to the religious. Jesus sought to change people, not the other way around, and many, if not most, rejected Him then, as they do today. In view of Jesus’ parable that no one puts new wine into old wineskins; therefore, we come as we are, to Him, but leave changed (cf. Mark 2:22), because we know that if anyone is in Christ, that person is a new creation (cf. 2 Cor 5:17). We are led by the Spirit of God, and though our emotions and feelings are not without value, the Spirit speaks to us through the Word of God. Consider the last statement Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery after her would be executioners dropped their stones and departed: “go, and from now on sin no more” (John 8:11c). Throughout the Old and New Testaments God speaks hope to the broken, marginalized, and disenfranchised; God delights in creating, recreating, and redeeming His created order.[3]

As Paul preached the Good News to the Gentiles and told them that they were worshiping false gods, I wonder how worried he was about offending them; to Paul, his was a mission of mercy and of utmost urgency! Paul certainly had inclusion in mind, but Acts 17, though taking pains to be relational with the Athenians, eliminates the possibility of the kind of inclusion that is advocated for in many modern churches. Imagine a Christian, today, telling a Hindu or a Muslim, for example, that their religions are false would qualify as hate speech. As Christians, our speech should primarily be “with grace;” however, it is to be “seasoning with salt,” to have good sense and point, so as to be effective for the inquirer or against the scoffer. Salt is spoken of as a preservative from corruption and a warning against corrupt words (cf. Mark 9:50; Col 4:6). If we massage our message in order to suit the world and avoid its offense, under the guise of reaching people, then on behalf of whom are we reaching them? After all, the Lord was not nailed to a cross, because people liked what He had to say. However, the Bible also instructs the children of God to not be quarrelsome but show kindness to all, “able to teach, patiently enduring evil,” correcting opponents with gentleness with the hope that God will grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth (cf. 2 Tim 2:24,25). Thus, love, as God defines the term, I believe must saturate all that we do.

Warning from the Sardinians

We have all surely seen a meme conveying that the church is not a place filled with perfect people, but rather, the church should be perceived more as a hospital filled with patients. I like the analogy; I would like it even more if it were more accurate. I would charge that much of the church has become less like a hospital and more like hospice care, more like the church in the city of Sardis (Rev 3:1-6). The lukewarm heart of Laodicea usually garners a lot of attention in these kinds of discussions (Rev 3:14-22), but Sardis is perhaps the most apt here. The people of the church saw themselves as being very much alive, but Jesus said that they were dead (Rev 3:2,3).[4] Sardis was a city that lived in the past, and though it had declined, legends of its former grandeur still captivated the city.[5] Because of its ideal geography and physical layout for defense, Sardis was formerly thought to be impregnable; however, the Sardinians’ lack of watchfulness resulted in its subjugation twice; in fact, as Robert Mounce explains, because the Sardinians did not remain watchful, the Persians marched right through the city gate, not even needing to overcome its defenses.[6] Therefore, the picture that Jesus is painting for the church is one of compromise and complacency that happens when a high view of Scripture is negotiated,[7] but all was not lost for the church of Sardis if only it would repent and wake up.[8]

Jesus called the Pharisees “a brood of vipers”, and Peter told Simon Magus that his heart was “full of bitterness and captive to sin.” Jesus is God, and Peter was surely operating in the Holy Spirit. Yet today, Jesus and Peter would be the ones vilified, while the Pharisees and Simon the Sorcerer would be the ones indulged. Lest not we forget the innumerable “Don’t judge me” memes, which would undoubtedly follow suit, overflowing our social media newsfeeds. What a shame that our witness has been so diminished, and our credibility compromised, by abuses of in our past, that even Jesus Christ, Himself, and Peter, would likely be tossed out of most churches onto the street. No wonder so many Christians today seem to have traded a Savior for a golden calf. I am certainly not without guilt.

“They say to the seers, ‘See no more visions!’ and to the prophets, ‘Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions. Leave this way, get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!” (Isa 30:10-11). But I am glad Jesus spoke up, that Peter and Paul spoke up, that Stephen spoke up, among many others. They caused civil unrest, were thrown in prison and even killed, and most undoubtedly, offended people; lots of people. Moved by love, theirs was an urgent mission of mercy, an eternal rescue operation, and for that the world hated them. So why do we today think we should be any different? Are we not making the same mistakes of those whom came before us? A gentle rebuke can be a tremendous act of love and a catalyst for repentance (see Jesus’ response to the woman in John 8). Pacification, on the other hand, so as to avoid causing offense, can be an ugly act of hate, not to mention as quite a stumbling block. It is easier to tolerate and appease, to misapply passages like Galatians 3:28 or the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, in order to justify the status quo. So, let us learn from the Sardinians; churches with one foot in Heaven and the other here on Earth are probably not going to make it; therefore, whether it be God or the world, pick a master and commit wholeheartedly.

Our Witness to the World

Nowhere are the divisions in the Body of Christ probably more apparent than social media, and these divisions puzzle and alarm me. I fail to understand people who are intensely against same sex marriage, based on biblical reasons, yet seem to have little problem with unbiblical divorce and remarriage or selfish ambition. By the same token, I do not understand those who are ardent advocates of “my body my choice” but supported enforced Covid vaccination mandates. Concerning how believers judge one another, I have no doubt that motives were at the heart of James’ admonishment in chapter 4: “Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?” (11,12). Instead of exercising Spirt led deliberations concerning controversial topics, difficult Bible passages, or false teaching within the church, our actions all too often make us undistinguishable from the world. Why not pick up our Bibles and explore what Scripture has to say on a particular subject over a good meal instead? Heck, if Holy Spirit indwelled children of God cannot come together peaceably over difficult issues, then what hope is there for anyone else?

Conclusion

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matt 7:13,14). One of the most startling teachings of Jesus is His teaching about the two gates, because I believe that few really understand its true meaning and warning. People that attend any kind of church usually believe that the wide gate is reserved exclusively for the godless; those who are not interested in serving God. But the audience Jesus was warning includes people who believe they are going to heaven, i.e. believers. No wonder Jesus warns of false prophets (15-20) and false disciples (21-23) in the very next breath, and then chapter seven closes out with the wise and foolish builders parable (24-27). The crowds, that day, were astonished by His teaching (28-29), and we should be too.

If God finds fault with nothing, and accepts everything, then Jesus is irrelevant, because there is no need for a savior where there is no trespass. On the other hand, if God condemns as the result of any single trespass, then, again, Christ is irrelevant, because there is no need for a savior where grace does not abound. Finally, a god that finds fault with nothing, except for acts reserved as especially grievous by a society, is nothing more than an idol created out of collective norms. Not much has changed since the time of Isaiah or the first century Sardinians. Modern Christianity has elevated the woman caught in adultery to that of a hero forgetting that she was no better than the crowd that called for her stoning. The moral of the story is actually simple to understand, perhaps, a little difficult to carry out. We should neither be the angry mob with stones in hand, nor be like the woman; instead, let us take our cue from the Lord.

Jesus referred to the world as a harvest field, and the ground has the capacity to produce both good and bad fruit. Let us strive to bring forth what is good.

[1] Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the English Standard Version.

[2] David G. Firth, Including the Stranger: Foreigners in the Former Prophets (Westmont, IL: IVP Academic, 2019), 68.

[3] Michael Moore, “Ruth the Moabite and the Blessing of Foreigners,” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 60, no 2 (Apr 1998): 217.  

[4] Brian J. Tabb, All Things New: Revelation as Canonical Capstone, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2019), 82.

[5] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1997), 91.

[6] Mounce, The Book of Revelation, 92-93.

[7] William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary (NT), (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2016), 2464.

[8] Tabb, All Things New, 224.

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