Don't Come Down
See the king in his castle. He has ruled for many years. He is a good man -- fair, just, and has sought to be kind and thoughtful. His castle sits atop a knoll with the slope falling softly into a valley. The walls are more a matter of distinction and esthetics than security. The distance from the castle walls to homes below is not far.
Morning after morning, a few discontented souls gather to complain. They have little to do, not because there is little to do, but because they desire to do little. It is easier to do little than much, especially if talking and complaining are counted as work. Pointing out the failures of others is accounted as work. Of course this leaves others to do the work in the fields and with the harvest. But such is the spirit of complaint: complaining comes first.
On occasion, one of the discontented souls ventures to pick up a small stone and hurl it upwards towards the castle walls in protest. It is thought by fellow critics to be an excellent statement of discontent and accusation. Given a strong arm and good effort, once in a while a stone can be flung with such strength until it harmlessly bounces off the castle walls and tumbles back down, down, down, maybe landing not far from the thrower—which is the character of complaints.
Such is the history of mankind: protest. The clock ticks. Time passes. It seems this protest will pass from one generation to another without any significant impact upon the king or the kingdom.
However, one morning the king rises and is in a not-so-good mood. He goes out walking along the castle walls. He hears the voices of protestors below. He listens. Then he cautiously looks over the wall. A stone is thrown. It hits the wall and falls harmlessly.
The king is irritated. He rises to his full height, looks over the wall, and raises his voice, shocking those below. Then the king proceeds to give an angry reply to the protestors, even putting in a few not-so-kingly words. He finishes his diatribe, turns and walks back to sit on his throne; in a moment of weakness, he acted out of character.
However, down below the protestors look at one another in astonishment. The king whom they had revered had now behaved badly. “He is no different than we are!” exclaimed the one who threw the rock.
Christians often work in conditions that are not so good. Temptations are sore, and persecution is common. Carnal minds tempt the Christian to act out of character. Carnal minds offer temporary pleasures. Carnal minds make life difficult for the Christian. But when the Christian has a bad day, acts out of character, “comes down” to act like the carnal mind, and behaves badly, the loss is terrible as critics say of the Christian, “He/she acts just like we do!”
Remember, my friend, a fool is a fool whether awake or asleep, without effort. Even if a moment of wisdom comes from a fool it is discounted for the source. But when a wise person comes down to act foolishly, it taints all the wisdom and character of the wise person.
In time of temptation, keep your godly character. Stay high on the wall, not better than others, but behaving better than those below.
Jesus put you in the world to be light. Walk in the light. Be Circumspect. Your Lord is counting on you not to “come down.”
Pastor Bare
Matthew 5:14-16