JULY 25, 2003 – AS LONG AS YOU DON’T GET CAUGHT
There are so many angles the media has taken in the Kobe Bryant case, but I want to explore one that I don’t think has yet been presented. I don’t presume to know Kobe’s motives or character, but my guess is that he is neither a paragon of virtue nor an archetype of everything wrong with today’s spoiled athlete. Maybe it’s because I’m a fan of Kobe (OK, there goes the reader’s faith in my ability to be objective), or maybe it’s because I am aware of my own sinfulness, but I’m inclined to believe that Kobe is genuinely aware that he has done something wrong, genuinely aware that he needs his wife and his God to forgive him.
These are the questions I have, to which only God and Kobe know the answers: is Kobe repentant because of the rend his infidelity has caused his wife and daughter, or because of the public and judicial consequences of his transgression? Is Kobe truly sorry for cheating on his wife, or is he mad that this fling may cost him a jail sentence, a league suspension, and an endorsement contract? Again, I’m not here to make him a saint or a sinner by insinuating that he’s one or the other; I’m honestly asking these questions without knowing the answers. The bottom line question is: does he regret committing the sin, or does he regret getting caught?
If you truly fear God, the fact that your sin is publicized and the fact that it could lead to a stained image, a loss of future riches, and a criminal record is incidental to the greater offense: offending the name and character of God. We who call ourselves Christians do a gross injustice to the glory of God when we treat our own sin in a casual and flippant manner; conversely, we give that glory its just due when we see our sin as God sees it, as an affront to His holy standard and reputation. Following this train of thought through to its logical end, I wonder: if Kobe didn’t get caught, would he be as remorseful to himself, his family, his fans, and his God?
If Kobe fears God, he should understand that this situation is ultimately not about public image or endorsement dollars or courtroom decisions; it is about his relationship with a holy God, and how his sin offends the holy nature of his God. Public humiliation, loss of endorsement power, and jail time: all of these consequences happen after the fact of the sin. They are contingent on the victim pressing charges, the media picking up the story, the jury returning with a verdict of guilty. What is on Kobe and Kobe alone is that, having committed a sin, he can choose to repent – genuinely, in his heart, and to his family and his God.
Meanwhile, in the courtroom of public opinion: the world ought to judge Kobe by its own standards. Since God is not in the picture, Kobe is simply a man whose actions should be compared against those of other men and women. In that light, he should be neither deified nor condemned. The world has decided that there is no Judge, and that you are free to do whatever you want, so long as you don’t hurt anyone and don’t get caught. So why the rush to choose sides between accusing and defending Kobe?
Our sins may or may not be as grievous as Kobe’s, but for sure they are not as public. And so we subtly but surely forget that sin is sin, whether or not we are caught, and whether or not it is broadcast to millions of Americans. In the final analysis, it doesn’t matter whether or not we’re caught, and how many intruding eyes see our sin. What matters is God’s character, and what our heart attitude will be when we realize daily that we have stained it.
There are so many angles the media has taken in the Kobe Bryant case, but I want to explore one that I don’t think has yet been presented. I don’t presume to know Kobe’s motives or character, but my guess is that he is neither a paragon of virtue nor an archetype of everything wrong with today’s spoiled athlete. Maybe it’s because I’m a fan of Kobe (OK, there goes the reader’s faith in my ability to be objective), or maybe it’s because I am aware of my own sinfulness, but I’m inclined to believe that Kobe is genuinely aware that he has done something wrong, genuinely aware that he needs his wife and his God to forgive him.
These are the questions I have, to which only God and Kobe know the answers: is Kobe repentant because of the rend his infidelity has caused his wife and daughter, or because of the public and judicial consequences of his transgression? Is Kobe truly sorry for cheating on his wife, or is he mad that this fling may cost him a jail sentence, a league suspension, and an endorsement contract? Again, I’m not here to make him a saint or a sinner by insinuating that he’s one or the other; I’m honestly asking these questions without knowing the answers. The bottom line question is: does he regret committing the sin, or does he regret getting caught?
If you truly fear God, the fact that your sin is publicized and the fact that it could lead to a stained image, a loss of future riches, and a criminal record is incidental to the greater offense: offending the name and character of God. We who call ourselves Christians do a gross injustice to the glory of God when we treat our own sin in a casual and flippant manner; conversely, we give that glory its just due when we see our sin as God sees it, as an affront to His holy standard and reputation. Following this train of thought through to its logical end, I wonder: if Kobe didn’t get caught, would he be as remorseful to himself, his family, his fans, and his God?
If Kobe fears God, he should understand that this situation is ultimately not about public image or endorsement dollars or courtroom decisions; it is about his relationship with a holy God, and how his sin offends the holy nature of his God. Public humiliation, loss of endorsement power, and jail time: all of these consequences happen after the fact of the sin. They are contingent on the victim pressing charges, the media picking up the story, the jury returning with a verdict of guilty. What is on Kobe and Kobe alone is that, having committed a sin, he can choose to repent – genuinely, in his heart, and to his family and his God.
Meanwhile, in the courtroom of public opinion: the world ought to judge Kobe by its own standards. Since God is not in the picture, Kobe is simply a man whose actions should be compared against those of other men and women. In that light, he should be neither deified nor condemned. The world has decided that there is no Judge, and that you are free to do whatever you want, so long as you don’t hurt anyone and don’t get caught. So why the rush to choose sides between accusing and defending Kobe?
Our sins may or may not be as grievous as Kobe’s, but for sure they are not as public. And so we subtly but surely forget that sin is sin, whether or not we are caught, and whether or not it is broadcast to millions of Americans. In the final analysis, it doesn’t matter whether or not we’re caught, and how many intruding eyes see our sin. What matters is God’s character, and what our heart attitude will be when we realize daily that we have stained it.
Comments