“Have you heard the latest?”
This phrase is usually followed by some morsel of gossip or scandal, telling of someone’s failing or weakness. There are industries built upon this idea of telling the world of the latest misdeeds of the rich and famous, of the powerful and celebrated. With 24-hour news and television, it becomes incumbent upon the medium of television to “dish the dirt,” whether it be the latest political brouhaha or what some wives in a major American metropolitan area are doing.
Sometimes we celebrate the evil in our society. Perhaps you can remember a time when Rhett Butler’s famous last line in “Gone With the Wind” was scandalous. Today, if the “f-bomb” isn’t sprinkled through something, it seems odd to many people.
Lest you think this a rant on the good old days verses our world going to hell in a handbasket, think again.
Instead it is a friendly reminder that Christ-like love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth, or that which is right.
What is Evil?
The evil Paul writes about here is not directly related to sinfulness per se, but more about the misfortunes that fall upon a person or people based in part on our sinful nature. The idea present here is someone who hears about the failings of another person and takes pleasure in it. The pleasure can arise from a number of things—a sense of superiority, a sense of revenge, of dislike or hate, or simply wanting to see others get their just desserts.
The problem with such an attitude is that it is inconsistent with the love Christ exhibited in our midst. When I read Matthew 23, as Jesus proclaims His woes upon the religious practitioners of the day who have no concept of who God really is, I read it as though Jesus is sorrowfully making His statements to them. Nowhere in the Gospels does it show Jesus gleefully celebrating someone’s sinfulness. Rather, the Gospel accounts indicate Jesus calling people away from their sinfulness and showing them to a better way.
It wasn’t too long ago when a district clerk in Kentucky gained notoriety because of her refusal to give marriage licenses to same-sex couples wishing to marry. She refused to do so based upon her religious beliefs. There was much back and forth among the talking heads about the pros and cons of her actions and her beliefs, and it was not uncommon for those who disagreed with her to point out that she herself had been divorced four times. Never mind the fact that her divorces had all come prior to her religious conversion—just the fact that this woman who seemed to have no true regard for marriage was now casting herself as an arbiter of what marriage is really about was too rich for those who disagreed with her position.
There are numerous examples of politicians who take a stand on an issue, only to discover that the politician is guilty of the very thing he or she denounced so forcefully. The Catholic Church is being rocked with stories of sexual improprieties (as are other churches and denominations) by the clergy.
The bottom line is that we live in an evil world. We always have; we always will. How we react to the evil around us tells us something about the love we have in our hearts. It is right to speak out against evil and sin. It is wrong to categorically condemn or gloat over individual sinners.
It would help us to put reverse the roles of those who have been caught in an evil and ourselves. If it was me that had made a horrible mistake or done an evil deed, would I wanted it bandied about in public with relish and delight? Would I want it talked about in private, even if there was sympathy or sadness? Most of us, when it comes down to it, have done things we are not proud of and would just as soon have those deeds never again brought to the light.
Gossip is one of the vilest of all sins, and should be avoided at all cost, particularly when one professes to be a follower of Christ. There is never any good that comes from gossip, because gossip by its nature delights in evil.
I think it is here that the Golden Rule most strongly raises itself up and bids us to demonstrate compassion and ministry, because agape love does not delight in evil.
How Do We Rejoice in Right?
The counter to the concept of delighting in evil is to instead rejoice in that which is right. Such an attitude is consistent with the Gospel and with the attitude of Christ.
In Philippians 4:8 gives an attitude that lends itself to rejoicing in the right. “Finally, brothers, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think on such things.” The person who seeks out the best in our world and in the people who make up our world is one who rejoices in right, in truth.
It’s often said that news media like to point out the bad in our world, while ignoring the good. There’s a reason for that, but the criticism has a valid point as well. News is when something out of the ordinary occurs (“Dog bites man isn’t news; man bites dog is). When the different occurs, news reports it. But sometimes, the different is the good in our world that exerts itself, and we find it being reported. A person finds a money bag that fell out of an armored car and returns it to the bank intact. That’s good news. That’s the right we rejoice in.
Jesus’ comment on giving alms in such a way that our left hand doesn’t know what our right hand is doing—doing good because it’s the proper thing to do—is cause for rejoicing. The young boy who willingly gave up his lunch of fish and bread to Jesus, resulting in the feeding of 5000 men is an act of right that is cause for rejoicing.
Looking around in our world today, we can see example of people doing what is right not for recognition, but simply because it’s the right thing to do. These are the things we should talk up, not what some “celebrity” was doing at a club late at night or what some politician did in complete contrast to what he or she professed. Yes, we need to point out hypocrisy, but we shouldn’t celebrate it. We should point to those who are examples of right and laud them instead of those who do wrong.
Conclusion
It’s one thing to not like someone or something. It’s another thing entirely to celebrate that person or thing’s shortcoming. To gossip or pass on the worst in our world is to deny the very essence of what love is.
Instead, the focus of love should always be on the celebration of doing what is right. Paul had it right when he penned Philippians 4:8. Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, that which is excellent or praiseworthy, is what we should focus on, what we should think about.
Look to the good and let God’s love flow through us.
© 2019 Glynn Beaty