“The peasants examined the cows, went off, came back, always in doubt for fear of being cheated, never quite daring to decide, looking the seller square in the eye in the effort to discover the tricks of the man and the defect in the beast.”
A Piece of String by Guy de Maupassant
De Maupassant’s fictional short story doesn’t name the whereabouts of these people, which suggests one can find such people anywhere. But this isn’t your garden variety of suspicious people. These people’s dollar bills wouldn’t say, “In God we Trust”, they would bear the motto: Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. Sadly, this problem of deception leading to an ethos of suspicion has been around since the serpent struck up a conversation with Eve.
The Apostle Paul cites one particularly egregious example of deceptive, churlish people in his letter to Titus as he quotes Cretan prophet Epimenides’ caustic observation of his neighbors: "Cretans are always liars, vicious brutes, lazy gluttons." (Titus 1:12-13, Apparently Paul regarded the statement with a measure of suspended disbelief since Epimenides logically incriminates himself.) Poor Titus, Paul appointed him to evangelize and/or pastor this group of brutes and gluttons. I can’t help but believe he deeply sympathized with Isaiah who was commissioned by God to preach to people who would never believe him. (Isaiah 6:8-10)
But, Paul was the kind of person who provided a solution whenever he talked about a problem. Here are his words to Titus:
First, remind those who profess faith in Jesus, and inform those who do not that God is not a liar - His promise of eternal life to the elect is irrevocable and unassailable (Titus 1:2). Trust the immutability and power of God’s word. Second, ignore the critics and naysayers who tell you church planting in Crete is a lost cause. “Appoint elders in every city as I directed you” (Titus 1:5). Trust the one you know speaks truth; walk in the footsteps of one who has shared in the sufferings of Christ in obedience to God, and imitate her/him. Remember, Titus, you’re not alone. Third, never surrender ground to the deceived, whether in or outside the church, who deviously speak the language of the Deceiver. “Hold fast the faithful word of the apostles . . . encourage the weak in faith with God breathed doctrine . . . with self-control and tact rebut spurious teaching” (Titus 1:9, My paraphrase of the Greek.) Fourth and finally, walk the talk, “be hospitable, loving what is good.” (Titus 1:8) In other words, go beyond speaking. Do the thing that no one can contradict: never pass up an opportunity to be generous with God’s love in action to those who can not pay you back.
Life and Peace,
Jeff Quandt