Some people assume that if homosexuality is addressed effectively, this world would be less sinful. Any country that indulges in the hatred of gays is considered more righteous than those tolerating such behaviour. But the opposite could be true. It is extremely necessary to confront this subject and remove misunderstandings, affecting Christians more than any other religion.
God disapproves of any sinful behaviour, making it unnecessary to express revulsion in pockets. But, God’s mind, including how people should conduct themselves, is found in Christ, more than in any other section of the Bible. Which sin of the world did Jesus demonstrate revulsion against? Jesus’ interaction with the people is captured in the four Gospel Books; Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
None of the four authors was prophetically mandated to write. Except for Matthew and John, having been the apostles, their writings were not religiously connected. None of them could declare having been sent by God to pen their stories. A critical evaluation of their writings reveals Matthew, Mark and Luke, as being, somehow, synoptic, in their writings.
John was one of the three, reportedly closest to Jesus. One could be tempted to speculate that John’s writings are more reflective of Jesus’ mind. Newspaper reporters’ viewpoints are commonly influenced according to the respective writers’ backgrounds. As objective as Luke declared to have been, he wrote for a government official. But God used each of those writers for the common good.
Luke’s preamble shows that his writings were not intended to appease religious people. Neither did he write as a supporter of Jesus’ activities. He merely wrote what He considered to be true, as would be interpreted by his hirer. Truthful information does not always have to come from religious people.
“Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Therefore, since I have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught” (Luke 1:1-4 NIV).
The ordinary view of humanity could find Luke’s account more persuasive than those considered to be by religious writers. Such views are motivated by the appearance of Luke’s writings, suggesting Jesus’ violations of Jewish traditional laws. The poor and the considered sinful, seem positively accounted for, in Luke’s writings, more than in any of those other writers.
“As he went into a village, ten men with leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, ‘Jesus, Master, have pity on us!’ When he saw them, he said, ‘Go, and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, ‘Were not all ten cleaned? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’ Then he said to him, Rise and go; your faith has made you well” (Luke 17:12-19 NIV).
Like the Lazarus and Rich Man parable (Luke 16:19-31), such stories were not captured by writers with Jewish backgrounds. Thus, the Good Samaritan parable could not appeal to Jewish writers. The Jews, generally, considered the Samaritans, deplorably, unacceptable.
There was nothing considered common between the Jews and the Pharisees. However, Luke merely reported what he saw, regardless of how ordinary readers would receive it. He wrote what he saw, although what he wrote was not captured by other writers.
It is from Luke’s writings that Jesus is revealed as having loved sinners, among whom, homosexuals were included. Those writers were not pushing any narrative, except their structural tones reflecting their respective backgrounds. Their mandate was subconsciously controlled by God, to capture Jesus’ viewpoint.
The only people that Jesus displayed being repulsive against, were the Pharisees—although considered highly religious. Matthew’s rendition is particularly emphatic about displaying Jesus’ hatred of Pharisaic hypocrisy. Those writers merely intended to capture what they heard and saw Jesus doing.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practised the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First, clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness” (Matthew 23:23-28 NIV).
Jesus did not display revulsion against any other sinner, except the hypocritical Pharisees and the teachers of the law. The gospel writers were factual, regardless of whether they agreed with Jesus or not.
While appearing as Godly inspired, those writers were not necessarily anointed as prophets. From their writings, objective readers can understand Jesus if believing in Him. Nothing in their writings suggests Jesus’ condemnation of sinners, except the Pharisaic hypocrisy.
It would be superfluous to assume homosexuals are holier than those sternly castigated by Jesus. Without combating ordinary sinners, Jesus’ focus was on His hatred of the fundamental sin of humankind. True Christians behave like Jesus, in not, necessarily, berating abhorrent sinners.
Several Scriptures indicate that Jesus loved sinners more than those who were considered to be righteous. The most important consideration is that Jesus loved sinners, including all humans, without favouring one section or the other.
When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zachaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’” But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:5-10 NIV).
Zacchaeus received Jesus’ favour, although not for his sinful conduct, but for his repented attitude. It was the Pharisaic judgmental behavior that invited Jesus’ disapproval, rather than sinners. Who can expect forgiven sinners to hate Jesus, who loved them unconditionally? Zacchaeus never tried to hide his sinfulness.
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he be sold to repay the debt.
“The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, cancelled the debt and let him go. “But when the servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me! He demanded. His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.
“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I cancelled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger, his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart” (Matthew 18:21-34 NIV).
The above reveals the principle of forgiving being a stable datum for all Christians. Judging places one in the position of being righteous. Unfortunately, that assumption, alone, makes one guilty of the sin that the person would be condemning. Jesus confirmed this behaviour, during His lecture:
Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way, you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces” (Matthew 7:1-6 NIV).
The above Scripture reveals that judging others is similar to judging oneself. The fundamental sin described as a plank, when compared to the sawdust, is pride. In other words, common sins are as insignificant as sawdust is insignificant. No human can be guiltless, when not as gracious as Jesus was gracious.
The sacred food signifies an expression of Godliness, towards ordinary humans, unprepared for God’s word. The known good servants of the Lord are commonly judged ruthlessly, in this world. Who can live a perfect life, when living in the flesh? This world does not consider past good works by currently judged preachers.
The savage judgments have often reduced God’s servants to merciless ridicule. I am reminded of one, Roman Catholic preacher from Matabeleland, Pious Ncube, who used to boldly castigate the late former President’s sinful behaviour. He was later reduced to shame and his voice was never to be heard again.
No one knows whether the dignified Bishop’s scandals were genuine, or this was just a fabricated setup. Jesus said the same measure of judgment would be measured against one, judging others. Christians are not necessarily the policemen of sinful humanity. They are the light of the world, but not as judges:
“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. On my account, you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of you Father speaking through you” (Matthew 10:16-20 NIV).
The enemies of God’s servants are not necessarily homosexuals, whose sins are as insignificant as sawdust. While expected to gallantly preach good news, God’s servants are to remain aware that no human can be better than others. The works of God’s servants cannot be enviable.
God’s servants ought to display a forgiving heart, highlighting Jesus’ glory more than highlighting their glories. Each passing day carries its evil, requiring knowing that without Jesus it’s impossible to escape the sinful curse. To be on the lord’s side does not require hating the gays, or any other abhorrent sinners. It requires loving those sinners, as Jesus loves them.
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilization, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from the current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, bringing relief to those who have witnessed the strings of unworkable solutions––leading to the current economic and social decay. Most Zimbabweans should find the book as a long-awaited providential oasis of hope, in a simple conversational tone.
The Print copy is now available at Amazon.com for $13.99
Also available as an e-copy at Lulu.com for $6.99
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