By Rick Ashlock

“The cynic is one who never sees a good quality in a man, and never fails to see a bad one. He is a human owl, vigilant in darkness, and blind to light, mousing for vermin, and never seeing noble game.” Henry Ward Beecher (1813 - 1887).

Henry Ward Beecher was a prominent member of a well-known family. He was considered a “liberal” preacher in his day because he supported things like allowing women to vote and ending slavery. He helped supply weapons to anti-slavery groups in Kansas and Nebraska and they in turn referred to their rifles as “Beecher’s Bibles.”

His sister, Harriet Beecher Stowe, wrote the famous novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which Abraham Lincoln considered one of the more proximate causes for the Civil War. The Beecher’s were indeed a politically, socially, and religiously outspoken family and while Harriet’s contribution may be more famous now, her flamboyant little brother was much more noteworthy during their lives.

During the latter stages of his life and career, he was embroiled in a scandal involving a married woman which involved church inquiries, lawsuits, arrests, newspaper articles, and a national sensation. Beecher was such a popular figure within his congregation and throughout the nation that he was able to endure the scandal and remain in his position as minister of Plymouth Congregational Church in Brooklyn. Truly amazing considering the general social standards of the day.

While popularity can help a public figure survive scandal, it can not prevent it. Historians seem to take great joy in digging up dirt on great figures of the past. Current public figures occasionally point out the foibles of their predecessors in an attempt to defuse scrutiny from their own indiscretions, thus breathing life into a story that occurred long ago. A scandal, it seems, can outlive those involved in it by many generations.

Jesus was not free from scandal during His earthly ministry. He rarely responded at to His detractors. Instead, He would continue teaching, healing, and generally making the Jewish leadership fearful and angry. They were so blinded by their anger for Him, that when they looked at Him, they could not see the beauty, love, and grace in His actions. Instead, they claimed that the source of His power was demonic.

People will always see in others what they want to see. Jesus appeals not to those motivated by jealousy, anger, or hatred. He will always be seen clearly by those truly motivated by love for God and their fellow man.

In Need of Prayers