A Lesson from "24"

“Can you believe it?” Andy asked me on Monday morning. “What a shocker! I never would have guessed it of Tony” I replied. In case you are wondering what we were talking about it was the unbelievable turn of events on the TV series “24”. All season long we unwary watchers had been roped into believing that Tony Almeda was a good guy – out to save America from all the ills of terrorism and its accompanying pain. Little did we know that the writers of the program took our natural inclination to judge people based on their outward appearance and actions to dupe us into believing that Tony would be there during Jack and America’s darkest hour.

Within a five minute window of time, Tony went from hero to assassin, from friend to betrayer, from patriot to terrorist. It left me shaken and questioning my ability to really judge the intent of his heart.

The prophet Jeremiah spoke about this very thing when he wrote “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” Humanly speaking we are unable to understand the depth of the depravity of our own hearts let alone the state of another’s. This is why Jesus commanded that we were not to judge one another. He spoke of making sure that we deal with the log in our own eye before we try and extract the splinter from someone else’s.

It is not important what our perceptions are of others. What is important is the genuine honesty of our own heart. God looks at the heart while we look at outward appearances. When we strive to live up to expectations of others we are setting ourselves up for failure. And when others disappoint us we need to keep in mind that they too are frail and unable to meet our needs without the intervention of God in their lives.

God desires that we all come to him with a contrite heart, willing to change any of the deceitful ways that separate us from Him. It is only as we submit to the change that comes from walking in the Light that we will be less likely to judge others.

So next week when I turn on “24” I will look at Tony Almeda from a different view. I will no longer be so naïve that I believe his motives are pure. But then again maybe I won’t even care to question.

Father, teach us to examine our own hearts to ensure that we are walking in the Light of your Truth and in obedience to the way You would have us live. Help us to refrain from judging the thoughts and intents of the hearts of those we come in contact with. May we grow to trust in Your unfailing love.