Gotcha!

Matthew 22:35-6 – And one of them, a lawyer, tempted him, asking, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”

I find it interesting that many of the translations I checked have ‘tested’ rather than ‘tempted.’ The verb, parazo, is the same as that used when the devil tempted Jesus earlier in Matthew. Translating it as ‘tested’ misses the point of the question. They were not testing him but trying to tempt him into their traps. They wanted him to do or say something they could use against him, just as the devil did earlier. The Pharisees, Sadducees, chief priests, and elders were  desperately trying to get rid of the threat he presented to their power and wealth. In doing so, they adopted the devil’s tactics.

These tactics are exactly what Republicans try to do when speaking with Democrats. They constantly bring up Bill Clinton's sins as a defense for 45, as if that is relevant. They constantly lie in defense of immorality and corruption. When Schneiderman resigned yesterday, “Gotcha,” was Kellyanne Conway’s remark. They are not interested in justice, but rather winning. They fit Peter’s description of the devil in his first epistle as one going about “seeking whom he may devour.” That is their concern: not governing, not helping people, not  the flourishing of people, but devouring their “enemies,” which they define as everyone not like them. Not like them in culture, skin color, language, religion, theology, piety, finances, sexuality, abilities. They fear loss of their power, just as the Jewish authorities did.

Most of us don’t go around asking, “Gotcha” questions of others. Most of us want to think the best of others. We want to get along, to love and to help where we can. We like cooperation, even if it is seasoned with some strife and struggle. Unfortunately, too often, we give people the benefit of the doubt for too long. Maya Angelou famously said, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them.” We too often choose denial or to look the other way. We make excuses for the people we like and give no second chances to those we don’t. This is human and must be intentionally guarded against. This kind of thinking got 45 and his cronies into government. Too many “leaders” kept quiet about 45 and his non-existent integrity during the primaries and the campaign. Too many people used the situation to enrich themselves and their rich donors at the expense of those they were elected to represent. Too many people continue to do so.

I think of Rudy Giuliani these past few days, twisting the truth so much he finally admitted he doesn’t know how to separate facts and opinions. We lose our sense of self when we lie, when we create that “tangled web.” Because Jesus knows who he is – and whose he is – these temptations to stumble do not work. In fact, such thinking is completely antithetical to Jesus’ thinking, his way of being, and his teaching. His concern is always for the poor and oppressed of society; those without power. We, as his followers, must follow in these footsteps. Together, we will do greater things than these (John 14:12).