Jeffrey Epstein (or better yet: the ghost of him) is in the headlines again, or maybe he never left. There are new revelations coming to light and yet no one is really sure what they are. The ambiguous “files” tell you everything and yet nothing. Everyone is somehow guilty and innocent. There is talk of current leaders, former leaders, and everyone in between. It has become a political football for each party to punt back and forth; a game of “we’re not as bad as those guys”. Anyone with an audience of any kind is determined to tell you two things. The first is a definitive breakdown of what it all really means. Secondly, they will tell you who is incriminated by the recent revelations. And it is not them or their political tribe. It is always the other guys. Of course the average citizen has no direct tie to whatever the horrific truth of the matter really is. But in a way, we all have an indirect tie, which is the very thing no one wants to talk about.
In chapter 18, verses 9-14, of Luke’s gospel we have one of Jesus’ parable. While Jesus gave many parables, this one was unique in that the setting was not a farm, a market, or a court—but the temple, a place of worship. Two men enter and the same two men leave, but they leave in two varying states before God. One was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. In other words, one was supposedly an expert in everything related to God and likewise, the other was supposedly uninformed, even unreceptive to everything related to God. They are diametrically apart from each other and yet they both end up at the same place: the place of worship. Again, this is where this parable differs from others. It unfolds at the very place where one comes to deal with God. And in this parable, there are two men approaching God in two drastically different ways. It went like this: “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’” Luke 18:11-13 NASB.
Of course, we should all be appalled at the thought of a criminal network that exploited the weak and vulnerable. Further, as a society we should not tolerate public figures being immune from the law because of their supposed exemplary morality and positive public influence through business, politics, or the arts. This is all true. And it is also true how deep corruption and lust are embedded into our society, into our homes, and into our nature. To think Jeffrey Epstein is some kind of anomaly is to fail in recognizing the building blocks of the “world”. John’s first letter succinctly reads: “For all that is in the world—the lust and sensual craving of the flesh and the lust and longing of the eyes and the boastful pride of life [pretentious confidence in one’s resources or in the stability of earthly things]—these do not come from the Father, but are from the world.” 1 John 2:16 AMP. The nature of this age is doomed by the inevitable selfishness of our nature. It can be redeemed, but it is doomed by itself. Back to the parable: Jesus gave two distinct warnings. First, if you have come to meet or worship or talk about God, then deal with him (better yet, let Him deal with you). The expert and the sinner both ended up at the temple, but only one came to deal with God. And Jesus said only one left justified. The second warning of this parable is the blinding light of our own bias and self righteousness. It is a light, but it is not holy. It is the pride that stinks of hell. And it kills. Instead of dealing with God, the Pharisee could only see what the doomed nature of humanity wants to see: the failures (or projected failures) of others. Jeffrey Epstein will give an account for the failures his life. So will I and so will you. Jeffrey Epstein (or better yet: the ghost of him) should not distract our attention from the scrutiny of ourselves. What evil is lurking in your mind or in the dark corners of your home? Our nature is doomed to fail, but we can be reborn. Go out and meet with God. And if needed, close your eyes so you won’t be tempted to judge the “sinner” next to you.
