Cast the First Stone
Let me be the absolute last person to chime in on the whole Eliot Spitzer scandal. He has certainly made an easy target for gleeful or hateful tsk-tsking: as his behavior patterns come to light, they reveal a man who is prideful, prone to lust, and selfish. I want to join in, too, because condemning and ribbing makes me feel better about myself; kicking a man while he's down only lifts you up higher.
Except that I too am prideful, prone to lust, and selfish. And so far from making me feel better about myself, as if life were graded on a curve and the class nerd just went down in flames on the last exam, Spitzer's indiscretions only remind me that I too am depraved in the same ways. Jesus once said, "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone." While I condemn Spitzer's actions, I know that I too am deserving of condemnation, so I find myself unable to join in on the stoning.
No man, in fact, is without sin. And so while you think it will make you feel good about yourself to cast a stone in the direction of the latest high-profile sinner, I've got a better way: acknowledge your own sinfulness and feel the acceptance of the One who was condemned for your sake. Kicking a man while he's down doesn't lift you higher; but casting your lot with the One who humbled Himself unto servanthood and death does.
Except that I too am prideful, prone to lust, and selfish. And so far from making me feel better about myself, as if life were graded on a curve and the class nerd just went down in flames on the last exam, Spitzer's indiscretions only remind me that I too am depraved in the same ways. Jesus once said, "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone." While I condemn Spitzer's actions, I know that I too am deserving of condemnation, so I find myself unable to join in on the stoning.
No man, in fact, is without sin. And so while you think it will make you feel good about yourself to cast a stone in the direction of the latest high-profile sinner, I've got a better way: acknowledge your own sinfulness and feel the acceptance of the One who was condemned for your sake. Kicking a man while he's down doesn't lift you higher; but casting your lot with the One who humbled Himself unto servanthood and death does.
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