You can elude consequences for only so long. Eventually, like a cheetah chasing a gazelle, they catch up, swat you down and grab you by the throat. Moses told the tribesmen of Gad and Reuben in Numbers 32, “. . . be sure your sins will find you out.” Paul cautioned the Galatians, “you reap what you sow.” The first Psalm warns, “. . . the way of the wicked leads to destruction.” And so the sins of Harvey Weinstein have found him out. He is harvesting a bitter crop. His career, relationships, marriage and more have all been destroyed.
I do not think it is necessary to recite Mr. Weinstein’s record here. It is enough to simply note that the details are devastating and salacious. If Hollywood, a culture not widely known for its high moral standards and incorruptible virtue, is scandalized, you may safely conclude that Mr. Weinstein has reached a most wretched low. Various celebrities have labeled his actions “shocking,” “inexcusable,” “disturbing,” “disgusting,” and “horrifying.” The most devastating assessment, however, came from his now estranged wife, fashion designer Georgina Chapman. She called his behavior “unforgiveable.”
Not for a moment do I wish to minimize the shame and wreckage Ms. Chapman or her husband’s victims are enduring, but God help us all if she is right. In fact, if she is right, God cannot help us at all.
A seminary professor of mine once told of a lecture given by the famed German theologian, Karl Barth, just a few years after World War II. As Barth spoke of the extravagant reconciliation available through Christ, a student in the class raised his hand and said, “Dr. Barth, you speak of Christ’s work on the cross as if Hitler himself could be saved.”
Barth paused, then replied, “You think you are better than Hitler, don’t you.”
Of course we think we are better than Hitler. And Harvey. And the recently deceased Mr. Hefner. There is a long and growing list of people to whom we may favorably compare ourselves. Against the black background of their sullied records, even the seediest reputation can achieve a bit of sparkle. But then, none of the people on that list set the standard. The standard is the Holy God. And no one, not a single person, comes even close.
Paul, a man familiar with failure, quoting David, himself a moral washout, wrote; There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. (Romans 3:10 – 11, NIV).
It’s like this. The Pole of Inaccessibility, also known as Point Nemo, is the spot in the world’s oceans farthest away from land. It lies 1,670 miles from Ducie Island in the South Pacific. If a boat dropped you and a world-class open-water marathon swimmer, at Point Nemo, which of you would make it to land?
Neither. The current unassisted open-water swim record is around 78 miles. The distance between where the best of us lives on our best day and where God lives on his worst is infinitely greater. And God has never had a bad day. Ever. Which, to a lot of folks, seems kind of unfair. If God’s perfection is the standard, then the game is as rigged as a slot machine in a Las Vegas casino. So we set our own benchmarks. We absolve ourselves and judge others based on our own personally determined codes of what constitutes right living.
I think it may have been Francis Schaeffer who illustrated our inability to live even by our own measures with this scenario: imagine being born with a built-in recording device that archived your voice every time you used the words “should” or “ought.” Then, at the judgment, your fate is determined by how you lived against your own standard.
I don’t know about you, but I certainly could not live up to my own standards – much less those of the Holy God.
Which is why Jesus came. Why he had to come. Not just to show us how a rightly lived life looked. But to credit to us the innocence we could never claim.
So can Mr. Weinstein find forgiveness?
Of course he can. So can you. So can I. Anyone can be forgiven. That possibility has never really been in question.
The real question is this: Is Mr. Weinstein looking for it?
Point Nemo. Very cool.
Jody, you are so on point! Thank you!
Patricia Williams
Thank you Jody! Reminders of how all of us see the sin in others and condem them yet we ourselves are not righteous, no not one, stings and we too would be lost to the fires of hell if Jesus had not died, shedding His blood to redeem us. It is His love, His Mercy, His Grace and His alone that we stand redeemed. Thanks again!
This was also the point of our Bible study of Romans 2, this past week, Jody. If I choose the 10 Commandments as the standard by which God judges me, that standard condemns me. If I use the standard of Sermon on the Mount, I am still condemned by that standard. If I say the Golden Rule is my standard, can I truly say I’ve never taken advantage of another person’s weakness or that I’ve always treated others as I would want to be treated? There is no one who can escape judgement when God reveals our secret thoughts and words and deeds! But, because of the life and sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, God’s kindness and patience leads us to repentance. And, there is hope of forgiveness for sinners like Harvey, and, for me.
Excellent observation, Susan. Pick any code list in the Bible and we all despair at our inability to meet it. It is as if all of them are sign posts pointing to the cross.
It’s a funny thing we do. We judge, thinking of others as being less than we are as we stand on our moral high ground. But in our quiet moments when we are not distracted, we think of how horrible we are & how could God or anyone else love or forgive us. We move back & forth from trying to make ourselves feel better by pointing out the failings of others while secretly dwelling on our own failings, judging ourselves more harshly than we judge others.
Jody, may I have your permission to share your words (fully credited, of course) with a group of ladies in rehab? I work with a group called SoFar which stands for Spiritual Outreach For Addiction Recovery. Often, one of the largest obstacles for an addict seems to be the ability to forgive oneself. Your teaching is absolutely on point for our session on grace. Thank you.
Absolutely, Susan. I hope it helps. JV