By: Dale Weckbacher
Luke 16:26
And besides all this,
between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass
from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.'
NKJV
The context of Luke 16:26 is the parable of the rich man and
Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). Lazarus, a
beggar used to beg at the rich man’s house for just the crumbs that fell off
the rich man’s table. In the parable
both the rich man and Lazarus die.
Lazarus is carried off to Abraham’s bosom whereas the rich man is in
torment. The rich man looks up, sees
Lazarus, and asks Abraham to just give him some water off Lazarus’ finger to
provide relief for his torment.
Abraham’s reply is what is recorded in Luke 16:26.
The rich man then asks Abraham to send Lazarus to convince
his brothers by telling them about the torment in their future if they do not
change their ways. Abraham’s reply is no
and that his brothers have the teachings of Moses and the Prophets to convince
them just as he had. In other words, all
one needs to know to insure they are on the right side of the great divide or
gulf between good and evil is already recorded in scripture. All we need to do is read it and follow the
instructions (Luke 16:27-31).
Once again it is an election year and the divide in our
culture is on full display. The exposure
of this divide is normal and occurs in all elections. In fact, the exposure and debate that occurs
because of this divide is healthy and how society deals with its differences. The danger in exposing these divisions lies
in how they are dealt with. Peaceful yet
rigorous debate is healthy but if the debate turns violent, we are all in
danger.
The canceling of the Chicago Trump rally demonstrated how a
peaceful political rally turns violent when people are led to believe the only
means of addressing their grievances are through violence. However, pointing fingers solves nothing and
actually fuels potential violence.
Instead of pointing fingers, I urge everyone to take a moment to look
below the surface to determine the true cause of the violent reactions to
divisions in society and begin addressing these causes. In my opinion, the causes of these violent
reactions stem from,
1)
A lack of a moral foundation in our society – I
am a fan of classic movies, TV, and music.
Okay not exactly classic music like Beethoven but classic rock and
country. However, when we compare the
content of these programs with what we are exposed to today, it quickly becomes
evident that our culture lacks any moral foundation. Without any moral foundation to stand on,
people can justify violence and resort to it when they do not get their way
instead of engaging in peaceful debate to convince others to their side.
2)
A media seeking to sensationalize issues for
ratings – One of the major changes in media the last few years is reality
television. I believe the term reality
television is misleading and we should refer to this genre as sensationalized
television for what occurs on these programs does not reflect reality for most
of us. Journalism has also changed from
just reporting facts about events to sensationalizing events in the effort of
achieving high ratings. Twenty-four hour
news networks are great for they make it possible for citizens to have almost
instantaneous access to news. However,
the competition for ratings among these networks encourages sensationalizing
news in order to achieve ratings.
3)
An education system encouraging radical
dissidence – There are many good teachers in academia but unfortunately, their
voices are often quieted by those in academia with an agenda to indoctrinate
students to advance a nefarious political agenda instead of educating them to
think on their own. The Chicago Trump
rally was on a college campus leading me to believe that many of the protesters
may have been stirred up by some of their agenda driven instructors.
4)
Political opportunists creating crisis to
advance a nefarious agenda – The current mayor of Chicago has been quoted as saying,
“We cannot let a good crisis go to waste.” (1) Our political climate is full of opportunists
who profit from crisis, quite often the crisis they create. Void of any moral foundation, people
following these opportunists can quickly be stirred up to violence believing it
is the only way to address their grievances.
The real cause of this great divide however lies in the
sinful nature in the hearts of men and women.
The only solution to this nature is the death and resurrection of Jesus
Christ and accepting His free gift of salvation. If you have not already done so, I encourage
you to pray with me now to accept this gift.
Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know
that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23). I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse
me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).
I believe you died, was buried, and resurrected from the dead and now
declare you Lord of my life.
Jesus Christ is the great bridge builder whose death and
resurrection built the only bridge capable of bridging the great divide in our
world. This bridge is the only way to
build a solid moral foundation in the hearts of men and women. With this moral foundation in place,
individuals will not fall for sensationalized media, indoctrinating educators,
or opportunistic politicians interested in advancing their nefarious
agendas.
In this election season let us be traffic directors pointing
people to the bridge of Jesus Christ, which bridges the great divide.
1. Yandle, Bruce. Rahm's Rule of Crisis
Management: A Footnote to the Theory of Regulation. fee.org. [Online]
Foundation for Economic Freedom, February 11, 2013. [Cited: March 12, 2016.]
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