Is your glass house stone repellant?

This culture delights in the misfortune of celebrities. For the last couple of years Britney Spears has been an object of judgment and derision. The sins of others are "delightful" in our eyes. Now Britney’s little sister is pregnant. The Disney star’s latest season of Zoey 101 is "in the can" but should it be shown? The Spears’ girls mom had a book on parenting all set for publication. Oops! We’d better stop the presses, that might be too much for the American public to handle.

Don’t get me wrong, I couldn’t  stand up to the kind of scrutiny that celebrities of all stripes undergo in today’s world of non-stop "new" media. Most of us couldn’t. If we did look good enough, then we would be attacked for being "too" good. Mitt Romney is a good example of this phenomenon.

People undergoing great psychological strain are asked a series of questions to determine their mental status. They are asked to decipher the meaning of proverbs such as "People who live in glass houses should not throw stones." Depending on their response a practitioner sets a course of treatment. Here is my question for today: What does our fascination with the "sins" of others say about our culture? What does it say about us as individuals? What treatment do we need?

I am quite sure that I will never run for public office. I have just enough self-awareness to know that I don’t have the temperament for the job. Waste and inefficiency irritate me greatly, almost to the "breakdown" level. That’s a good reason to abstain, don’t you think? A better reason in my case is that my life could not stand the scrutiny that candidates undergo in today’s political process.

One need only turn to John 8 to see Jesus’ way of handling the "glass house" v. "stone" question. In this case the sin was adultery and the sinner had been caught in the act. The "stoners" were without question applying the letter of the law in a "perfect" way. But Jesus stopped them cold by writing in the dirt. The common interpretation is that he was writing the sins of the accusers in a way that they could see. He challenges those without sin to start throwing! None of them could meet that standard.

Soon it was only the woman and Jesus remaining. Without any accusers to condemn her, Jesus himself offers these words…"Neither do I condemn you." He covered her sin and offered her the hope of a new and changed life.

Instead of reveling in the failures of others, let us demonstrate the kindness and compassion of Jesus toward them. Let’s drop our rocks and pray that the grace of God would continue to cleanse us and wash us.