Archive for July, 2021

Too Good To Be True! 7-4-2021

Sunday, July 4th, 2021

You’re just too good to be true! You have a great build and a sharp
mind! You’re a snappy dresser and a smart looker. You’ve got all the
credentials: sociable, sensitive, caring. You’re just too good to be true!
Sounds great, doesn’t it? Wouldn’t you be thrilled and overjoyed
if someone approached you and marveled, “You’re too good to be true!”
That’s how the home folks put it when they heard Jesus teach in the
synagogue that Sabbath. As he taught they whispered, “Who’s this guy?
Where did he get all the smarts? How did he get the magic touch? He’s
better than a chiropractor or a shrink!” They went bananas over him!
They were so excited they tripped over one another to get a better look.
And when they did?
Someone in the crowd gasped, “That’s that…ah…ah…Mary’s kid,
you know, the Mary who takes in the wash!” And someone else chimed
in, “Sure, that’s Mary’s kid. Her husband is Joe, Joe whatchamacallit?
Their cousins live in the old shack a couple of blocks down the street
from us.” Then do you know what happened? They stopped dead in their tracks, shook their heads sadly, and whined, “Too good to be true!
We know where he comes from. He’s from the other side of the tracks.
Oh, he put on a good show: he fooled us for a minute. We thought he
was a real whiz – that he could teach all of us a thing or two. But now
we know he’s “too good to be true!”
Too good to be true? What a turnaround! They were silly people
back then, weren’t they?
Back then? Has anything really changed? (I hope so).
Someone says, “Hey, you’re intelligent, sensitive, caring. You’re
perfect for the job but, uh, we don’t want women in this business. Tsk!
Tsk! Too good to be true!”
Or, “My goodness!” You have impeccable credentials. We want
responsible people like you living in our building. But, uh, there’s a
little problem. Tsk! Tsk! The color of your skin! Oh well – too good to
be true!”
Or, “Do you know how badly we need someone to teach these
kids? You come with the highest recommendations. But, hmmm, you are one of them aren’t you? Too good to be true! See you!” It doesn’t take much reflection to realize how our biases change
our outlook on the world. First we are impressed with what we see and
hear. Then the bias takes over and what we saw and heard we didn’t see
or hear. Too good to be true! What are the consequences of bias in these
situations?
Jesus’ townspeople lost out because if they had received Jesus into
their lives they would have been enriched by his presence. Jesus lost
too! He couldn’t be for them what he had intended, and this was his
loss. Our biases prevent us from appreciating others’ gifts, which then
inhibits them from developing these gifts. After all, without others
appreciating our talents, we might not be motivated to develop them.
“You’re too good to be true” is either others’ positive assessment of who
we are or their dismissal of us altogether! Affirm or deny. The choice is
yours.