The Honor of a Black Eye

“For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.” (Ps 69:9 AV)

There are consequences for zeal.  Those who do not appreciate the zeal will forthwith let it be known.  Those who do not love the LORD will strive against those who do.  The real question is: will we tolerate the reproach?  Will we put up with it?  Will we thrive under it?  Do we think it unfair and try to avoid it?  The attitude of Peter when persecuted during the pagan feast of Easter, is the response we should have.  After being persecuted for preaching the gospel, their attitude about that persecution is revealed in Acts 5:41. “And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.” In other words, it was a privilege to be beaten for their faith.  Not an injustice.

We will suffer all sorts of criticism or injustice for things that really do not matter.  I lived in Cardinals and Wildcat country.  If anyone has every lived there, they can testify these fans are a bit rabid.  They take their sports teams rather seriously.  To root against them will incur a different level of criticism than most anywhere else.  Trust me!  I have lived in four different states and three different distinctly different cultures.  When it comes to baseball and college basketball, these fans are unique.  Now that I live in a large city with a professional baseball team, I was warned not to fly my Cubs W flag lest my home get vandalized, or worse.  We will fly our flags, paint our cars, wear our hats and tee shirts, even to a rival’s stadium.  We will put up with all sorts of abuse for entertainment.  And, we will consider it an honor to do so.  But to do so for the LORD Jesus Christ?  Why is that so hard?  Why is it so difficult to endure the slings and arrows of the enemy for the One who will ultimately be victorious, yet, we have no problem with suffering at the hands of an out of control sports fan.

When we are abused for the cause of Christ, we need view that as an honor.  We do not deserve any attention.  We do no deserve and honor.  When we are ridiculed for our faith; or worse, physically attacked, then we can wear that as a badge of honor.  When the reproach which is actually aimed at Jesus is aimed at us, then we have the privilege to take one for the team.  A black eye is nothing more than a shiner that reflects the glory of a God who will exact all justice in His time.