The Honorable Life, Part 1
One thing all human beings have in common is sleep, and when we sleep we often dream. In fact, there are some dreams that are universally common. For example, have you ever dreamed of being in public and suddenly realized you forgot to wear pants? Or, have you dreamed of being at work or school and abruptly remembered that there is a big presentation or test you didn’t prepare for? Dreams like this are remarkably common experiences. It is generally thought that this reflects our common fear of shame and humiliation.
Since the fall, human beings have been inflicted with a debilitating sense of shame and humiliation. Yet, we want to be honorable, and to be seen as such by those around us. John 11:45-12:26 offers important and relevant insights.There are at least two unhealthy ways we pursue the honorable life: power and prosperity.
The religious leaders seek the honorable life through power. John records a conservation amongst the religious leaders, “If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation” (11:48). The leaders are speaking of Jesus who was growing in popularity because of his message and miracles. Jesus’s rise exposes their fear of losing power, of losing their place, and of losing honor. So, what do they do? Well, they use their powerful position to formulate a plan to neutralize the threat. John writes, “So from that day on they made plans to put him to death” (11:53). Looking for the honorable life, Judas takes a different route.
Judas pursues the honorable life through prosperity. While in Bethany, Jesus spends some time with Lazarus, who he raised from the dead in John 11:1-44, and Lazarus’s sisters - Mary and Martha. Mary, overcome with thankfulness, breaks open some expensive perfume and pours it on Jesus’s feet, but Judas is perturbed by this. “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” Judas asks (12:5). John comments, “He said this, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it” (12:6). A few days later Judas betrays Jesus and gives him over to his killers for money. The pursuit of honor through power and prosperity is darkly ironic.
Both the religious leaders and Judas want the honorable life, and they take their own paths in search of a cure for their intrinsic shame and humiliation. One takes the path of power and the other prosperity. The dark irony is that it leads to the same place, and it’s not The Honorable Life Inn. In fact, idolizing power and prosperity leads them into dishonor. It leads them to act in ways that any reasonable observer would deem horrific and shameful. Don’t be fooled, though, we’ve trod these paths too.
Perhaps, we haven’t plotted to kill or betray, but we have in our own ways idolized power and prosperity. We’ve dreamed about promotions and pay raises, and the life we hope results. However, the more we dream about power and prosperity the more willing we become to act dishonorably. We will exaggerate our accomplishments and play down our failures. It will get easier for us to amplify the failures and belittle the successes of others. The more deeply we believe that the honorable life is gained through power and prosperity the more dishonorable we become. We will live out the nightmare.
I’ll leave us here for now, but know that John’s gospel offers us a real way out of shame and humiliation and into the honorable life. To see that path we must look to Jesus, his cross, and follow him there.
