Current Events Monday: The Blame Game
Blame games remind me of soccer or hockey matches that end in ties. Nobody wins, and so everyone essentially loses. Assessing blame for the recent Covid-19 surge seems to have become a major sport in our country over the past year. Just the mere mention of mask and vaccine mandates is like pouring gasoline on a raging fire. I genuinely feel great empathy for community leaders (such as school administrators and teachers) who may not have a dog in this hunt, but they are certainly caught in the crossfire. The bullets flying back and forth between the Austin Mayor and the Texas Governor give us a unique, illustrative glimpse into the harsh and highly volatile environment of the blame game. Austin Mayor Adler: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has made it ‘impossible’ to protect students | KXAN Austin.
My goal in this article is not to participate in the charged political rhetoric of our day but merely to analyze some of it from a biblical perspective. No intended political biases are offered here. We can render those things unto Caesar at another time (Mark 12:17). We simply must concern ourselves here with examining and testing the spirits at work in our current blame game cultural climate and then assess a loving, Christ-like response. One of the best examples of how Jesus dealt with the blame game may be found in Luke 12:13-15. Someone in the crowd around our Lord hollered out for his help in arbitrating a family dispute. Specifically, the man who called out to Jesus desired for Christ to manipulate his brother into sharing the family inheritance equally. On the surface, this seems like an honest request. How many of us have dealt with greedy family members or have gone through squabbles over money? The man in the crowd also had legitimate biblical backing for his request based on guidelines for inheritance distribution in Deuteronomy 21:17. Nonetheless, Jesus offered a touchy response. He rather harshly asked, “Man, who appointed me a judge or arbitrator over you?” Ouch.
Why such a terse quip from Christ? Context helps a great deal. Immediately after Jesus’ rough question, he told the crowd to beware of all kinds of greed, meaning that the man’s request for inheritance was not an open and shut case. There are two sides to every story. The man obviously blamed his brother for either a real or perceived wrong and was trying to assert a certain advantage of power in his family by dragging Jesus into the blame game. Jesus wasn’t going to be sucked into this.
Here’s the bottom line: the blame game is not something that has much weight, if any, in the Kingdom of God. Blaming others for real or perceived wrongs is often based on some form of greed. Our ego does not feel secure, and so we grasp at anything to gain an advantage—even if that means either trying to bait Jesus to do our bidding or claiming that he is doing our bidding when he is not. One gets the impression that Jesus is not much for us utilizing his name to zap enemies and prove ourselves as righteous and as clean as freshly fallen snow. It takes two to tango in the blame game, and Jesus doesn’t want to be a third wheel.
So, what’s the way to handle wrongs against us? How would Jesus have us handle disputes dealing with everything from family inheritance problems to who is responsible for Covid-19 surges? The following tips may sting like Jesus’ retort to the gentleman in the crowd that day, but they are nonetheless helpful.
First, there is a better philosophy of life than “Know thyself.” We don’t know which Greek philosopher coined this phrase (most say Socrates), but the axiom “Know thyself” has been weaponized over the centuries to aid individuals in the blame game. This thinking places the self at the center of his or her own universe. Thus, it’s easier to blame someone else for being insensitive to “my truth” and “the way I want things to be done.” From a biblical perspective, however, we cannot truly know ourselves until we deal with the Christ who stands and knocks at our heart’s door for entrance.
Have you noticed, for instance, how statistics and research have been manipulated for use in the blame game? Persons from all sides of every argument out there seem to posit a scientific study and data to support their claims. Yet, how much of this supposedly scientific information is used more for winning arguments and getting people stirred up to massive levels of hysteria rather than loving neighbors? It’s as if Adam, when confronted by God in the Garden of Eden for his sin, brought hundreds of charts and data dumps to prove that Eve made him eat the banned fruit. Regardless of the meticulous research, sin is sin. Pride is pride. And ego is ego. Jesus refuses to arbitrate between the Adams and Eves of today. Jesus wants to save us.
Second, allow yourself to be disturbed about…yourself. One of my seminary professors would often quip, “Everyone has a right to be wrong, including you.” Just because we may think we have all the answers doesn’t mean that we do. Give yourself and others the chance to be wrong. It may be disturbing and ego-bruising to know that you may be on the wrong side of a debate, but true wisdom comes not from our being right but our fearing the Lord. Short term pain to our pride equals long term gain for the Kingdom.
Third, beware of institutional blame. It is certainly in style these days to blame institutions for almost all societal ills. We then become like the man in the crowd in Luke 12 and ask Jesus to tell those horrible institutions to give us our due! Why is it however that we often fail to look further into the pressing issues of our day? Institutions most certainly have problems, but institutions are a human enterprise. It’s not just an institution that can wreak havoc, but it’s the sin that drives the people within the institution. For instance, before we blame the government (or whatever other institution that is in the cultural crosshairs for supposedly being evil), let’s first assess the sinful human component, including our complicit actions in corrupting institutions—being careful to take the log out of our own eye before removing the speck from the neighbor’s eye.
Fourth, beware of claiming that God is your exclusive ally. The Gospel accounts are replete with stories of how Jesus constantly surprised the masses when it came to social graces. We can’t pigeon- hole the Lord. Before we claim that he is on our side in a conflict, or in trying to assess blame, let’s make sure to talk to him about it first. His answer may surprise you.
Nobody wins the blame game. If you’re looking however for serenity and hope during these challenging days amidst challenging relationships, go directly to Christ. It’s always better to use our hands to open the door of our heart to the Lord than to point fingers at our neighbors.