“33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34 But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil. Retaliation 38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. Love Your Enemies 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matt 5:33-48 ESV)

Perhaps the greatest obstacle to fellowship is crimes carried out in good intention. By the same token, basic religious dialog can be compromised by internal notions of a rather indulgent parent or judge. We think, scout’s honor, that if we just plead that such-and-such was in good faith, that some mystical parental, judgment day, “Fairness” will prevail.

All of us do this. We literally flatter ourselves that our courtroom argument is perfect, or we bumble about around the fact someone else’s actions are maddeningly inchoate. Maddeningly evil, even. As if any evil should bow before good reason and sane good intentions.

No, the world—and this is the key takeaway—is in God’s hands, and His brand of Wonder and Meaning includes a totally fallen, totally depraved, humankind. All of us can fall into this kind of impatient or scout’s honor kind of sin. Likewise the shrill complaint, trusted because what else would cause such visible consternation: we witness to a Christ event even when we don’t yet feel we have, we personally have, ownership in it. Who is Christ? Where is Christ? Is this one or that one destined to bear the sins of the rest of us? And why covet such a role?

God’s brand of Wonder and Mystery gives to soldier a prayer, that more Meaning and Choate rhyme or reason, would arrive vis-a-vis it being a reason Cruciform and upheld as beloved, disciples beloved, couriers beloved, message-bearers beloved.

This, too, shall pass: our internal mental “courtrooms” betray a simpler fashion of mankind, that he or she carries along with actual, sincere, integrity around the negotiated discussions with her or his fellow man or woman. We model, life plays out. We assemble and testify, life rewards. We staple down and argue, life reciprocates.

Therefore the rogue actor who is in themselves convinced it was “in good intentions” is a rogue actor prime for Conversion. Their head is in the right place, even if some horrid bargaining is underway around theirs being the only Witness, the first Apostleship, the ne plus ultra License. Are they Christ’s Own? So, too, are we. Insofar as we uphold as Holy that Christ is in our midst. Insofar as we uphold as Holy that some regrettable wars began much earlier than on paper record.

God needs our “Scout’s Honor” testimony, our calm voice, our measured out lack of anything shrill or alarmist. Yet, too, any mealy-mouthed gradual approach, meets a stark Contrast called Conversion. We made a radical psycho-social exchange, unto a strange new world where all sense of what is appropriate and what is ill appropriate, may have come under attack. This is conversion. This is the reliance on God’s sense of humbling the proud, He used Jonah even despite Jonah’s personal culpability and self-interest. He humbles us, in order that God’s Testimony may prevail. This thing is a mystery.