Jesus Ruins Everything

Scripture: Acts 26:24-25 – “While he was making this defense, Festus exclaimed, ‘You are out of your mind, Paul! Too much learning is driving you insane!’ But Paul said, ‘I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking the sober truth.’” (NRSVue)

They say that ignorance is bliss. I have read about a few studies that question this notion, but I have generally found it to be true. Society tends to reward people who go with the flow and who do not question why the world is the way it is. We like to valorize free thinkers and disruptors, but unless they find worldly success, such as making lots of money, they can become miserable.

In my experience, the more you know, the more you see wrong with the world. You see how broken the world is but cannot change it. A few years ago, there was a show called Adam Ruins Everything. In it, a smug comedian named Adam Conover would take a common custom or idea, such as giving diamond engagement rings, and indicate how imperfect, foolish, or sinister they were. In the diamond ring episode, Adam demonstrates that the timeless tradition of “two months salary” was actually invented in an ad campaign by the DeBeers diamond company to exploit their monopoly over diamond production. On one hand, the viewer learns an unpleasant truth that might shape their lives for the better. On the other hand, knowing stuff like this can make one miserable, and insufferable. No one wants to show off their new engagement ring to friends, only to have one say, “Um, actually, engagement rings are a scam to support a corrupt monopoly.”

But there are some truths that are too important to not to share. Much of Jesus’ ministry was built around exposing the cruelty and emptiness of the Roman way of life, which exploited the poor and used the empty religiosity of elites to make people think their suffering was a punishment for their sins. There was a true peace and a true joy that could be found through faith in God.

But people didn’t want to hear it. Jesus was ruining everything. Jesus was crucified because the elites saw him as a threat. The apostles were arrested and sometimes killed for preaching these unpleasant truths. In one story in the Acts of the Apostles, Paul is brought before King Agrippa and prosecuted by a man named Festus. As Paul preaches the truth of salvation, Festus remarks that too much learning has driven him insane. Paul thinks too much and that has inspired him to try to change the world. Wouldn’t it just be easier to shut up and go with the flow?

But Paul is willing to suffer for the truth, because he knows that while it makes him miserable in the present, it will bring him joy in the future, and more importantly, bring that joy to others.

What are you going to do with the faith that you have in God? Will you “ruin everything” by exposing the evil and emptiness of the world? Will you seek out those who are suffering or hopeless and show them another way? Will you let Jesus give you both perspective and courage so you realize you are not powerless? Being a Christian is not always easy, and it is not always fun. People just want to be happy. But through teaching the truth, you can give them something better: hope.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for showing me the truth of your salvation. Let it fill me with hope as I face the struggles of my life. Amen.