Guard Your Reputation – Ha!

ALL – Psalm 57:1-7
ALL – Proverbs 11:5-6
OT – Numbers 15:17-16:40
NT – Mark 15:1-47

We have two ways to protect our reputations. One is by being men and women of integrity; we can guard our reputations by consistently doing and speaking what’s right. The other way is to argue with people who accuse you of doing wrong; we can try to prove to people through arguments that we are people who do what is right.

Jesus did the first. I can’t think of a time when He did the second—when he guarded His reputation by arguing that He was righteous, by refusing to be called an evil man or associated with them. If anybody could have and should have defended His own reputation, it was Jesus. And yet the way that Jesus died was a way that dragged His reputation through the mud; Jesus was righteous, but the perception that day was that Jesus was a criminal.

Two robbers were also crucified that morning, their crosses on either side of his. And so the Scripture was fulfilled that said, “He was counted among evil men.” – Mark 15:27-28, The Living Bible

Jesus was counted among evil men. Not because He was evil, but because His opponents wanted to paint a picture of Him as a wicked criminal. Arguing would have done little to no good. It’s not as though His miracles were a secret, and Jesus’ teachings were public knowledge, too. The only way for Jesus to prove His claims would have been for heaven to open up, angels to descend, and Jesus to display His glory in full. And it wasn’t yet time for that.

It’s not yet time for our glory as God’s children to be displayed in full. We can display the glory of the righteousness that God has given us and re-created us to live. But even that glory is something we display imperfectly, waiting for Jesus Christ to return and make us wholly new. In the meantime, we simply cannot guard our reputations—at least, not by arguing with people and trying to convince them that we’re God’s children. Our best argument for now is the same as Jesus’ was: the argument of a righteous life of integrity. If people don’t listen to that argument, then we shouldn’t be surprised when they find a way to do as they did with our Lord, counting us among evil men. Our reputations will be dragged through the mud, whether we like it or not.

How can we help one another stay the course and keep doing the good God calls us to, even when we’re being falsely accused of terrible, wicked things?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.