Identifying the hidden sins

One of the things that has been on my mind lately has been sin. (I know, a stunning revelation from a Lutheran.) But more than just sin in general. As I read through the Gospels, I stop to look at the specific sins against which Jesus speaks. He doesn't go around berating people who know that their actions are sinful. They have their own condemnation and the condemnation of society with which to deal. Jesus was all about calling out the people whose actions were sinful, yet accepted, even encouraged by the culture. Conversely, he was also all about showing love to those whose sin set them outside the boundaries of love as expressed by their contemporaries. How would our ministry and witness in the life of the world change if we were to adopt the same model?

One immediate change would be in the ways in which we deal with those who Jesus called, "the least of these." Some of these roles are the same as they were in Jesus' time. We still shun the unwed mother, and forget about the widow down the street. We are still quick to pass by those who lie at the gates of the city dependent upon charity.

However, changes in society have influenced the way that we see some other "least of these." Tax collectors are no longer universally reviled. You see, what made tax collectors such awful people in Jesus' day was that they were colluding with an outside power and benefiting unfairly from such collusion. Today, they are just dutiful civil servants.

So, what is it that our society holds up as worthy and exemplary that is sinful? One place to start is with the rugged individual. It is hard to imagine a more American image. The rugged individual stands alone, stands strong, and cares nothing for the way his or her actions impact those around them. Is this a person whose life is marked with faith? I do not think so.

The rugged individual may not even be the best example. My point is, it is very dangerous for us to assume that simply because a value is held in high regard by society, that it is also a Godly quality. It could be sin.