The Spin Cycle (Final)

Follow the rabbit hole. Go here, here and here (in order) before continuing with this post.

Now that you are caught up you might recognize the forming of a dilemma of sorts. You see, I could have 500 parts to this series—easily! So today, in order to prevent that great waste of space in the blogosphere, I will wrap up the spin cycle with a few select offerings from the spin doctors themselves.

First, a close friend who was really no friend at all:

47-49The words were barely out of his mouth when Judas (the one from the Twelve) showed up, and with him a gang from the high priests and religious leaders brandishing swords and clubs. The betrayer had worked out a sign with them: “The one I kiss, that’s the one—seize him.” He went straight to Jesus, greeted him, “How are you, Rabbi?” and kissed him.

50-51Jesus said, “Friend, why this charade?”

Then they came on him—grabbed him and roughed him up. Matthew 26:47–51

Judas was betraying His Lord and master here and yet he wants everyone around to think of him as a happy go lucky friend! He greats Jesus with the traditional and respectful greeting for a rabbi and a friend yet his heart was black with evil intent.

We can put a smile on anything can’t we? Human nature is so dark sometimes, so vile. Judas was more concerned with spinning his role into something noble than he was with the gravity of his actions and the eternal consequences.

How about those pesky religious leaders? Did they ever come around? Well, at least 2 of them did, Nicodemus and Josephus. However, the majority who were blinded by jealousy and envy of Jesus form the very beginning see those sinful thoughts carried all the way to their grave.

In the very end Jesus raises from the dead and there is simply no other explanation for it. The Roman guard explained that a great light and supernatural event moved the stone, Jesus had predicted it before hand (so the Pharisees had a heads up to the miraculous event), there were over 500 witnesses who saw Jesus after the resurrection and yet, the Pharisees save their greatest spin for last. You can read about the whole sad situation below:

1After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

2There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

5The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

8So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

The Guards’ Report

11While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. 12When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, (no pause to consider the truth, no panic about the possibility that they could be wrong, just an immediate beeline to spin the event to their favor) they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed (what’s up with the soldiers here?!!! They were there! They saw the angel! The earthquake! The power and the empty tomb! Yet they too agree to spin it another way. Why?!!). And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day. Matthew 28:1–15

What can I possibly add to that? There is a time when people pass the point of no return. These evil spin doctors are long past it here.

Often times you hear people say about the wicked, “Just wait until they come to the end of their life. It has a way of softening the heart. When death nears it has a way of making all of us face that which we have spent considerable effort avoiding all our lives—eternity. Surely the knowledge that this day is approaching will turn them around.”

Only it didn’t.

These leaders took their stubbornness to the grave and are now spending eternity separated from the God they shunned forever and ever. All because they could not admit their sin and cling to God’s grace through Jesus Christ.

Somewhere early on they let their sin turn into spin and the cycle only got worse.

It always does.

How can we avoid this trap?

By removing spin’s predecessor.

You see, before we go into spin control, there is always an attitude of the heart present. I call it spin’s predecessor but it’s actually ‘sin’s predecessor.’

All sin.

Every single kind you can possibly think of.

Snuff this out and you won’t be pulled under by the whirlpool of the spin cycle.

It’s just one word and I’m going to tell you what it is in a few seconds, and when I do I will leave this series with that word. All you need to do is pray about this ONE word.

Honestly.

Humbly (that’s a hint by the way).

And with faith that God will help you be honest about it so that He can purge it from your life.

Ready?

5…

4…

3…

2…

1…

pride.