Many people remember former New York Mayor Rudy Gulliani specifically because of his leadership following the World Trade Centre attacks in September, 2001. But he will also be remembered for dramatically reducing the crime levels in New York City.
For many years New York’s reputation throughout the world was that it was a city of high crime statistics, and rightly so. Movies always portrayed the city as one that was covered in graffiti, controlled by gangs and a place that you would never walk in alone, day or night.
When Rudy Gulliani became mayor he embraced a social theory called “Broken Windows” to fight the high crime levels and attempt to improve the overall living standard of the city. From his book called “Leadership” this is how he describes “Broken Windows.”
The theory holds that a seemingly minor matter like broken windows in abandoned buildings leads directly to more serious deterioration of neighbourhoods. Someone who wouldn’t normally throw a rock at an intact building is less reluctant to break a second window in a building that already has one broken. And someone emboldened by all the second broken windows may do even worse damage if he senses that no one is around to prevent lawlessness. (Rudy Giuliani, “Leadership”, (London: Time Warner, 2002), 47)
It was an enormous task for Gulliani. One which required the co-operation of many separate departments, such as the police, sanitation, public transport and so on. All departments were told to “sweat the small stuff,” as Gulliani describes it. Seemingly ‘minor’ crimes like jaywalking and littering were cracked down upon. It was a must that any graffiti upon trains or other public places was removed immediately. Store owners whose shops needed repair were encouraged to fix their premises. Garbage removal was improved so that waste did not remain on the streets unnecessarily.
Gulliani achieved the immense task of uniting all of the various departments behind the common cause of stopping the “Broken Windows” theory in its tracks and thereby dramatically reducing the city’s crime levels.
The theory of “Broken Windows” was developed in the early 80’s but I think it’s exactly what Paul was trying to say in the following passage:
Ephesians 4:17 – 5:2
So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.
You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbour, for we are all members of one body. “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ God forgave you.
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
The key verses here are 4:22 – 24 and 5:1-2. This is what it’s all about.
You were taught with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self… and to put on the new self to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Now it needs to be said at the outset that Paul is speaking here to people who are already Christians. We only need to look at the first verse of Ephesians to see that the entire letter is addressed to the “faithful in Christ Jesus.” I say this because the behaviour that is expected here is for Christians, not non-Christians. To expect Christian behaviour from people who haven’t “put off the old self” is not reasonable, nor what Paul is addressing.
The concern, though, of Paul throughout this entire passage, indeed the entire book of Ephesians, and much of the teaching of the New Testament on Christian ethical behaviour, is to reject what destroys community and promote what builds community—to repair, or to avoid in the first place, the “Broken Windows” that exist in the Church. The specific issues he deals with here—the windowpanes that need fixing—can be summarised into three main areas; Our Mouths, Our Hands, and Our Hearts.
MOUTHS
Having put off the old self and put on the new self, we live a life of truth. We are to use our mouths to speak the truth that God has placed in our lives in Jesus Christ. For the Christian, lying is no longer a resource in our arsenal. The truth is not a choice—it is a necessity.
Lying is destructive behaviour, both to the liar and to others. Think about this, the church is described in 1 Corinthians 12 as the body of Christ, made up of many parts. How strange it would if the eye saw danger coming but told the foot that it did not exist. Lying distorts reality and accompanies every other form of wrongdoing. It is usually motivated by self-enhancement or self-defence and usually does not occur in a singular form. It is very difficult to tell only one lie.
Jesus Christ referred to himself by saying “I am the Truth.” Now we as Christians have taken on his name, we are members of his body so we are to be the Truth of Christ personified now. Jesus is characterised by truth and his people should be as well.
Lying is one of our “Broken Windows.” It damages the liar as well as the entire community. In our human categorisation of sin we place it low on the sin “hit list”. Let’s repair that window—lying is sin, and is therefore unacceptable behaviour for Christians who are created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. As our passage says in verse 25:
Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbour, for we are all members of one body.
Paul continues later in the passage by referring specifically to the choice we make in how we will use our mouths in other ways. I think one of the saddest but most common and destructive things that affect the Church is the misuse and abuse of our mouths. Gossip, slander, backstabbing, verbal abuse, foul language and the like are very easy to participate in but are just so damaging.
The writer of Proverbs spoke about Gossip quite a bit, for example;
16:28 “a gossip separates close friends”
18:8 “The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man’s inmost parts”
26:20 “Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down.”
It is just too easy to use the God-given gift of communication in an un-Christlike way. I think that’s why the writer of James spoke so much about how hard it is to control the tongue.
What I find most interesting about this next section of the passage is that verse 29 could be followed quite naturally by verse 31 and 32 with no break in thought. Instead, Paul includes verse 30 in there; “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” I said a moment ago that as Christians we have taken on the name of Christ. We are Jesus’ physical representatives on earth. The seemingly small sin of the misuse and abuse of speech is not simply a rock that breaks another window of the Church; it is a wrecking ball through the entire structure.
So here’s how we’re going to avoid that sort of damage; “get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice” (v 31). Gossip, backstabbing, foul language, verbal abuse and the like are no longer welcome in this Church. If you are a Christian, you bear the name of Christ so if you participate in that sort of behaviour it’s quite simple—change your behaviour, or change your name. Not for my sake, or each other’s sake, but for the sake of the Holy Spirit who is grieved when Christians destroy one another with their words. You’ve taken His name, don’t take it in vain!
Instead, let’s use our mouths for the righteous and holy purposes that God has given us—for construction, not destruction. Let’s focus on what speech was given to us for. We have the authority of God to use our mouths to build each other up with encouraging words for the benefit of those who listen. We have the authority of God to use our mouths to be kind and compassionate to one another. And we have the authority to use our mouths to forgive one another; just as in Christ, God forgave each of us.
HANDS
We all know that stealing is a sin. That’s an easy one. Here though, Paul tells us that simply “refraining from stealing” is not the behaviour that Christians are called to. Christians have a higher expectation of contributing to the community. To use our hands for something useful that benefits those in need. Paul emphasises the complete reversal in behaviour that Christians go through when they put off their old sinful self, in this case theft, and put on the new self, here working for the benefit of others.
An example of this kind of behaviour is found in the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19. You might remember that Jesus came to town one day and a Tax collector by the name of Zacchaeus wanted to see him. Now because Zacchaeus was a Tax collector he basically lived in no-man’s land. He was a Jew that took money from Jews to give to the Romans, but he wasn’t a Roman. As a result he didn’t really belong in either camp. Tax collectors were renowned for also taking a little extra on the side for themselves. Following Zacchaeus’ encounter with Jesus he did a complete turn around in his behaviour. What was his response to Jesus? “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” (Luke 19:8). He had gone from taking extra taxes for himself and turned completely around to giving half of his possessions to the poor. Half! That day Zacchaeus repaired the Broken Windows in his life.
This was very a much a part of our Wesleyan understanding of holiness. For Wesley, holiness was not just inward change by the love of God, it had to be exhibited in loving acts of kindness to our fellow human beings. There is no holiness but social holiness.
Laziness, procrastination, and consumer Christianity are all subtle sins that plague the Christian Church. There is even the attitude that if I “pay” my tithe then I’ve done my bit for the church. The paid ministers should be doing the work. Don’t get me wrong, giving is important and many people give cheerfully and consistently. But giving must not just be something we do when the offering bag is passed each Sunday. Giving is a lifestyle. We are called to offer our bodies as living sacrifices—all of it, not just ten percent (Romans 12:1). We give of ourselves to the Church community, out of our love for God and our love for one another, so that all may benefit.
This is another Broken Window that needs to be repaired. The church, as the body of Christ, is not an organisation, but an organism and must be treated as such. As you know with your own bodies if one part of the body is sick or injured then the whole body is affected. Let’s give all of ourselves to God and each other. Let’s reject laziness, procrastination and consumer Christianity. Let’s use our hands for the righteous and holy purposes God has given us—for construction, not destruction. If you are going to procrastinate then do it later! Our passage says “He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.”
HEARTS.
Paul speaks to this “Broken Window” in two areas—anger and love. There is much in the world for Christians to get angry about and rightly so; injustice, poverty, racism, lies, and abuse. Christians everywhere should be appalled at these and other atrocities that exist in our world and be actively seeking solutions to them. This, however, is not the focus of this passage. Our passage is talking about anger between people within the Church, and about preventing it in the first place.
Anger is largely a self-centred emotion. It is a chemical and physiological reaction to our displeasure that the world is not as we would like to it be. It is a choice that we make, for we choose both what we react to and at what level that reaction will occur. Like lying, anger damages both the angry person and the community.
The passage assumes that people will make us angry, but anger must not take up residence. I like the way the NRSV has translated it saying “do not make room for the devil.” Anger, if given place, can become the avenue the devil uses to cause sin; a Trojan horse for his attacks. For that reason, anger must be shown the door as quickly as possible.
Anger in our hearts is also one of our “Broken Windows.” In itself anger is not a sin as such, but if it is not dealt with efficiently and in love in can become a foothold for the devil. Let’s repair that window. Do not hold on to your anger any longer than you must—like a hot potato the longer you hold it the more you get burned. As our passage says: “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold” (vs 26).
The other side of this “Broken Window,” love, is by far the most challenging repair to be made. Let’s read this section again (5:1-2);
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Be imitators of God…
Live a life of love, just as Christ loved us…
Sacrifice…
These are difficult expectations for Christians. None of these instructions are easy to achieve, but it’s been something that God has called his people to throughout all of Scripture. Leviticus is perhaps the most important of these in the Old Testament. Time and again God says to his people in Leviticus – “Be holy, because I am holy.” In other words, imitate me. Jesus himself reinstituted this command in Matthew 5 when he said to his disciples “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
This holiness is not just for piety’s sake or to achieve a sinless state. It is a holiness of perfect love. A love that follows the example of Jesus himself who loved the world so much that he sacrificed himself for its salvation.
Jesus has set the bar for the behaviour that is expected of all Christians. Now, like an encouraging coach, running alongside us, teaching us, training us, all in love, he has promised to be with us as we seek to reach that goal.
Our God is not a God who is removed from us, but a God who cares and who identifies with us. We have all sinned and we have all fallen short of his glory, but he responds with self-sacrificing love. The sacrifice is pleasing to God not only because of the obedience of Jesus, but also because of what it does in restoring people into relationship with Himself. Jesus’ sacrifice accomplished for us what we could not accomplish for ourselves.
The response to this passage is simple in its instruction but difficult in its application; it just requires obedience. Like Zacchaeus, we’re required to put off our old self, to turn away from our sin, and turn to God who gives us a new self to put on. We are created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
The challenge for us is to consider the “Broken Windows” in our lives and to seek God’s help to make the repairs that need to be made. Quite often we draw the line on what sin is acceptable and what is not at the wrong place. There is NO sin that is acceptable for the Christian. The line must be drawn there.
Rudy Giuliani shares the remarkable results of his application of the “Broken Windows” theory in New York. One of their “Broken Windows” was the problem of “squeegee” operators at traffic lights, particularly at the main entrances to the city. These are the people who confront cars waiting at traffic lights, using the term lightly, they “wash” the windscreen (often unwanted) and then request (or even force) payment.
They expected the total number of these “squeegee” operators to come out at thousands but when they looked closely they found that there were only 180 in all of New York. It was just that their placement was at key locations throughout the city which gave the appearance of so many more. Immediately the message went to the police to charge these people with jaywalking. Their place in the middle of the road was illegal and so they needed to be charged.
A remarkable thing happened as a result of this. Not only were these people charged with jaywalking but some were found to have outstanding warrants in other more serious crimes. These warrants were then served. The outlook of the city also changed and tourists remarked at how pleasant it was to enter the city now. Tourists enjoyed entering the city and not have people harassing them the moment they arrived. The reduction in crime overall was also assessed and the results speak for themselves—overall crime was reduced by 5,000 felonies per week! All from ‘sweating the small stuff!’ The enforcement and elimination of a seemingly “small” crime produce dramatic results in the “big” crimes.
It is my prayer that as we draw the line in the sand and say that no sin is acceptable, no matter how small we may perceive it to be, that we will see similar dramatic results in the righteous and holy lives that God has called us to live.
May God fill continue to fill us with his perfect love so that we may live righteous and holy lives for him.
