TOLERATING TOLERANCE
Last week's sermon was on acceptance. So with a follow-up sermon on tolerance you might be wondering if it's going to be redundant. Though the words accept and tolerate are often used interchangeably there are times when they're not. You've heard the phrase, "I'm building up a tolerance to it", but have you ever heard someone say, "I'm building up an acceptance to it"?
Am I just splitting hairs? No. Though it might be common for us to use the words interchangeably, they are different for a reason. The difference is seen in the bible. In the NIV, accept is found far more frequently than tolerate is (149 to 8). Although tolerate is used only 8 times, it's worth looking at.
Hopefully you'll be able to tolerate this sermon.
1) Tolerating God's tolerance.
Hab. 1:2-4, "How long, O LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted."
The Hebrew for tolerate here carries the idea of looking upon or watching something. So, Habakkuk's complaint is wondering how the Lord can continue to watch the evil that's going on and not do something about it.
Have you ever felt this way? We look around at the world and wonder why God allows evil to continue and ask why the righteous suffer and the wicked look like they're living carefree lives. That's a legitimate concern and we've seen places in scripture that highlight that.
Although what Habakkuk writes here can definitely apply to the ungodliness we see in the world as a whole, he's not talking about those who don't know God, he's referring to his fellow Jews-God's chosen ones. Habakkuk is frustrated at the injustices that are happening and the conflict and strife that existed with the ones who had the word of God.
At the time, Judah was ruled by King Jehoiakim who was cruel and corrupt. Therefore, the law was paralyzed because it wasn't being honored. Those who had been overtaken by wickedness are causing problems for the righteous ones.
Habakkuk looks around at all the evil his fellow Jews are committing and wonders why the Lord is letting them get away with it. Habakkuk is saying, "God, why are you allowing those who have turned away from you to have power over the ones who are true to you?"
To put it in perspective, it would be like us looking around at all the evil that Christians are doing and wondering why God would allow it. "Why are you tolerating your own people behaving this way and giving you a bad name? Why do you tolerate the so-called Christians who are full of hatred and bitterness toward people? Why do you allow the prideful and arrogant to go on misrepresenting you?"
Have you ever wondered this before? You see the ones with a high profile who have tarnished the name of God because of their sins; whether it be lust, greed, or manipulation. How many movies or shows have you seen where the characters who are connected to God in some way are represented in a negative way?
The Christian on the show is a flighty, holy-roller who everyone mocks or avoids. The serial killer leaves bible verses at the crime scene and says he is doing God's work. So people walk away with thinking anyone who loves the Lord or carries a bible is a laughable whack-job.
And part of the reason for these labels is due to those who have not represented God well. Whether it's the cult leader, flashy TV evangelist/faith healer or the overbearing but well-intentioned Christian at the PTA meeting, there have been plenty of people that have not done a very good job at representing the true Jesus.
Why does God tolerate these people? But then I have to ask, what about me? In what ways have I distorted the image of Jesus? I might not be on TV influencing thousands of people but I'm still guilty. We should wonder why God tolerates what we do. And then be very thankful that he does. God has every right to come down on me pretty hard, but he doesn't. It's easy to accept God's tolerance of us yet feel differently when he's tolerant of others.
That's not to say it's wrong to wonder why God continues to tolerate what's going on in the world. Habakkuk had a heart for God and was upset over what he was seeing. Not that Habakkuk thought he was perfect, he just couldn't understand how a holy God allowed unholy behavior among his people to go on, seemingly unchecked.
If you read on in Habakkuk you'll see that God had a plan for dealing with the people's wickedness. In the end, Habakkuk stopped complaining and spoke about trust and joy instead. God is a just God but he's also a patient God.
We can have righteous anger over evil in the world and the Christians who are setting a poor example but we need to put things in perspective and be thankful that God is tolerant of us. Tolerate God's tolerance.
2) Don't hate; tolerate.
This statement can be taken a few different ways. There's truth to it; we shouldn't hate people who are different, we should love them. But just because I need to tolerate your views, that doesn't mean I need to support them. But some people don't make that distinction. In their minds if I don't subscribe to your beliefs or practices I'm a hater. If I don't accept all lifestyles then I'm against people who live differently than I do.
Some of the basis for this viewpoint can be seen in the synonyms for tolerance; one of which is broadminded. So, the opposite of that would be narrow-minded. Another synonym is open-minded. Thus the opposite is being closed-minded. In other words, if I believe your lifestyle is wrong then I'm narrow-minded or closed-minded.
Although these terms are typically looked at as negative, that's not altogether true. Believing Jesus is the only way to be saved could get us labeled narrow-minded. But we don't have to feel bad about that because Jesus is the only way.
If we're not open to all religions and teachings we're labeled closed-minded. Some people would say we're wrong for being that way, but it's not wrong; it's biblical. Remember last week I talked about Paul going after the Corinthians for putting up with a different gospel than the one that believed and accepted.
We shouldn't tolerate falsehood when it comes to our own personal choices but we do need to tolerate it when it comes to allowing others to have their own beliefs. Does putting up with it mean I'm okay with it? No. I can tolerate something without liking it.
But some think if I'm tolerating it that means I must be okay with it; otherwise I would do something about it. Not necessarily. A person who's suffering abuse is not okay with it but they may be tolerating it because they feel they either can't do anything about it or they don't know what they can do about it.
However, the ability to change things that are happening in my personal realm are possible. Ultimately, I have the option to make choices for myself that will lead to a better situation.
But when it comes to the public arena, that's different. I may have control over what I allow in my own life but I can't control what is allowed in the public sector. I can try to change it but my voice isn't the only one factored in to the equation. In that case, if something is allowed in society, I'm forced to tolerate it.
But that doesn't mean I'm in agreement with it. But some people have the mindset that if we're not in agreement with something we need to viciously attack the issue like militias until we eradicate whatever it is we're against.
That's not a good approach. Passionate? Yes. Hostile? No. We strive to change things through the right channels. We protest peacefully, debate wisely and vote accordingly. We become an advocate; a voice to be heard. We can stand up for what's right without spewing venom or destroying property.
But how do we find the delicate balance between hating one's sinful behavior and loving the person? Some people act like you can't. I've seen signs from protesters within the LGBTQ community that read, "resist the hate". We're labeled as prejudice, bigots, judgmental, discriminatory, haters. They don't make the distinction between what a person does and the person themselves. If you are against homosexuality then you hate homosexuals.
Unfortunately, there are some people who represent Jesus who come across like that. I've seen the protesters with their "God hates homos" sign with Psalm 5:5 on it. Psalm 5:5 does say God hates those who do wrong. But that deserves some further investigation.
The Hebrew word for hate here, can mean different things-be an enemy, be an adversary-which sinners are God's enemy. Another meaning is, be shunned. To shun is to turn away from and reject. That's what God will do to those who are unrepentant. But that doesn't mean he hates them; in fact quite the opposite-he loves them (John 3:16).
But besides that, if I were able to talk with the person who was holding this sign, I would ask him if he has ever done anything wrong? If God hates those who do wrong, like Psalm 5:5 says, how does that not include you? Let's put what you've done on the sign.
But here's the kicker-the guy holding this sign was also wearing a shirt that said, "trust Jesus". You probably thought I was going to say he was wearing a shirt that said Jesus loves you. Now that would be a real head-scratcher.
But think about it-you're holding a sign that says God hates homos while wearing a t-shirt that says trust Jesus? Why would I trust someone who hates me? No wonder people from the LGBTQ community feel that Christians hate them.
If anyone felt that the fire and brimstone approach is the only way to go because anything less shows that you are in agreement with sin, I would point them to Jesus' example. He ate and drank with sinners yet he never condoned their sin.
How was he able to do it? He drew crowds of people and it wasn't simply because he could do miracles and heal the sick. He amazed people; he captivated them. And it wasn't just his bible knowledge, it was also his love and compassion; his gentle spirit.
That was something the people weren't used to seeing from the ones who considered themselves religious leaders. Matt. 9:9-13, "As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”
On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
There would be reasons for the Jews to not like tax collectors. They were considered traitors for working for the Romans, taking money from their fellow Jew to give to Caesar. Some tax collectors collected more than they should've so they could keep some for themselves.
And who knows what the sinners that Jesus ate with were guilty of. But they were obviously looked down on by the religious leaders and probably the 'reputable' townspeople also. So there would've been surprise as well as contempt toward Jesus and his disciples for doing something so personal as sitting down to eat and drink with such people.
But Jesus teaches a lesson to the religious leaders and any of those in ear shot. Jesus came for everyone because everyone is a sinner. But those who thought they were already righteous would feel no need to listen to him.
Jesus was differentiating between those who were humble and those who were proud. The religious leaders and anyone who despised the ones Jesus was with were the proud and arrogant ones and the humble ones were the sinners who sat at his feet listening to his words of wisdom and reconciliation.
Then Jesus gives them a task-go and find out what God meant when he said through the prophet Hosea that he desired mercy, not sacrifice. Hosea was told to go and bring back his unfaithful wife, Gomer as a picture of how Israel was treating God yet God was willing to have them back.
Mercy, was more important that sacrifices and burnt offerings. That's why Jesus ate and drank with sinners. That's why he tolerated them being in his presence. It was the opportunity to show the love of God and teach the word of God in hopes that they would turn from their lives of sin and come to God for salvation. The religious leaders would say that Jesus was wrong to tolerate. They would misconstrue Jesus' tolerance for approval.
When Paul challenged the Jews within the church in Rome he said in Rom. 2:4, "Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?"
The Greek word for tolerance here means forbearance; which means patience, self-control, restraint, mercy. Tolerating is not condoning. Why does God tolerate sinners? To lead them to repentance. He tolerates us, not because he's okay with what we're doing but because he's patient with us; he wants us to come to our senses. He wants us to come to the place of conviction and realize our folly.
So we follow his example when we encounter people in the world who are ungodly. We tolerate them, not because we're in agreement with their sin, but because we want the opportunity to show them the truth.
And we will have more possibilities and hopefully better outcomes with people when they realize that we don't hate them, nor do we need to agree with their beliefs and actions in order to befriend them and minister to them. That's what Jesus did...and it worked for him.
I think about how Jesus conducted himself in society. The religious leaders posed many questions to Jesus, some were theological, some were political; all in the effort to try to trip him up-but they never did. But it tells me that those who were around him probably asked him questions about the issues that would've been going on at the time.
How did Jesus deal with that? How did he tolerate people who had different views? I don't see him shunning them; I don't see him getting into heated debates with them. I see him listening, being understanding, using it as a teachable moment. Most of all, I see Jesus loving them despite opposing views.
Politics has always been a hot-button issue, whether it's between people in general or even fellow Christians. How well do we tolerate each other's opposing views?
There have been different views when it comes to the Corona virus. Some think it's mostly a conspiracy and don't see the need for any restrictions. Then you have those on the opposite end who are afraid to leave their house and take every precaution and then some. And of course there are the ones who fall somewhere in between.
There have been debates and arguments. People judging others for being too cautious or not cautious enough. Where the truth lies in all this I don't know. But what I do know is that we need to be tolerant of those whose viewpoints are different. We can have discussions about the facts and the source of our so-called facts and so on.
But, I need to learn to accept it if you feel differently than I do. My concerns may be based in certain factors that you don't have to deal with. I might have a compromised immune system. I might be taking care of the elderly. You might be single while I have a family. You might be retired where I can't afford to get sick and be out of work.
We need to be considerate of the fact that we are different people with varying circumstances but are all dealing with the same issue. We don't hate, we tolerate. We can even tolerate the intolerant. If people want to mistake our tolerance for approval that's on them. Let's follow the examples of tolerance set by God and Jesus. Let's tolerate tolerance.
