Hitting the Mark

I showed the above illustration to a friend during his visit to my home over the July fourth weekend. After he complimented me on it, he asked me what type of article it was an illustration for.

“I want to use it to talk about Sin,” I answered. I proceeded to explain the article I had in mind dealt with the Hebrew concept of Cheit where the idea of sin is illustrated by an archer just missing the mark. This idea is used when the bible refers to the sin of King Saul. He was anointed by God through Samuel to be the first King of Israel. Saul was literally God’s chosen man for just such a role, but as his story plays out during the course of 1 Samuel, he loses his kingdom, his family and ultimately he commits suicide on the battlefield rather than face humiliation at the hands of his enemies. I continued, saying I thought this idea explains the trajectory of certain high profile ministers and churches. In discussions with former members of such congregations I have often heard the phrase, “He didn’t start out like that,” or “something changed in his message once the church got to a certain size” or even “I know he’s anointed, but somehow he just lost his way.” I felt this was an important point that like an archer about to miss the mark these men might be yet called to repentance.

“Unless they’re hitting the mark they’re actually aiming at,” my friend said flatly. It was at this moment the fact that I was talking to a successful Prosecuting Attorney landed on me like a sumo wrestler. He explained, “I know that you’d like to think that they revere God and His word as you do, that they want to serve Christ as you do and that maybe they’ve just been swayed from trying to live a righteous life by various temptations, but they have a new chance to repent every day and there’s no shortage of people like you who call them to repentance. But do they? Ask yourself that question: do they ever repent? At some point, you’ve got to look at where they are now along with where they want to go in the future with their ministries and assess if these are the works and goals of someone who hasn’t kept good form as they draw their bow or if they are deliberately lining up completely different targets of wealth, fame and power and hitting them bull’s-eye.”

I had to admit, he was right. I’ve wanted to believe that these men and women who twist scripture to achieve all-too earthly ends had somehow simply lost their theological footing, that maybe they had their affections turned to acquiring lucre as their ministries grew, particularly since I sat under just such a pastor in just such a church. But to view my old pastor the way my friend did would mean I have to admit I’d been had. I’d have to admit that my emotions had been played upon and I had been taken in by smooth talk and deft parsing of various scriptures to satisfy my own itching ears rather than edify my soul. I’d have to admit that I was a mark. And so I was.

So, thank you J. for the best critique I’ve received in a long time. You’ve helped me realize that I can’t play “nice” with such folks any more than a hammer can gently coerce a nail.