John 7:47-49 “You mean he has deceived you also?” the Pharisees retorted. “Has any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law–there is a curse on them.”

Ah, the tyranny of the elite! We see this sort of thing all the time, with people being dismissed as “deplorables” or “Walmart shoppers” and the like. In America today the operative term is “coastal elite,” but we might as well call them Pharisees – except for the fact that for the most part they are actively anti-religion. That’s very ironic, when from its founding America has intentionally not had a hereditary “nobility.” The impulse is very much there, however, with “legacy” admissions to the elite schools, which crank out the next generation of elites. The biggest problem is, today’s elites are just as likely to be wrong as were the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. Deciding what to believe on the basis of what famous person declares it is pathetic foolishness. We are all individually accountable before God, and as Paul said, we need to “continue to work out [our] salvation with fear and trembling.” (Philippians 2:12) That doesn’t mean we are to ignore what we hear from others, be they high or low, but it does mean that we are to evaluate their reliability by their lives. Do they demonstrate an active, healthy relationship with Christ? If they do, they are worth listening to. As Jesus said, “by their fruit you will recognize them.” (Matthew 7:20)

My problem has been that I have tended to think of myself in the “elite” category, particularly in the area of religion and spirituality, because of my family pedigree. God had to come down pretty hard on me about that! I still have that tendency, and God has to keep reminding me that a high IQ doesn’t guarantee I’m hearing Him accurately. I am very aware that all such comparisons fit the Japanese expression, “acorns comparing height.” Einstein and a barely-func­tioning handicapped person aren’t very different when viewed from God’s scale. Humility is absolutely essential! My task is to draw people to repentance and faith, and I will never do so if, in attitude even if not in words, I am talking down to them. The only human being who is “above” is Christ Jesus my Lord, who is also God.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for getting us through the gallery show, and that we’re back to a more normal schedule. I ask for physical strength today as I get the pictures out of the frames and the frames back up into the attic, and I ask for wisdom in what to do when. I pray that Cathy would have a good report as we go back to the doctor this morning for her broken elbow, and that she would have fewer irritating restrictions on her arm. Give her patience to allow the bone to heal fully, and give her peace and joy in the process. Thank You. Praise God!