In the book of 1 Samuel of the Old Testament there is a story about a priest named Eli. According to the story, Eli wasn’t too bad a guy. The details of the story reveal quite plainly that Eli faithfully served in his duties at the temple as a member of the family of Levi. It was under Eli’s leadership that Samuel, the better-known leader-priest of Israel, was trained and grew in statue before the people of God and God himself.
There was one major problem with Eli, however. Eli’s sons were scoundrels. They stole from the temple, abused worshippers, and treated God with contempt. Unfortunately, Eli’s sons didn’t live up to their father’s good nature.
Where the story really gets interesting is when God pronounces judgment on Eli for the behavior of his sons. God says this:
See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle. At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family—from beginning to end. For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God, and he failed to restrain them. 14 Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’ (1 Sam. 2:11–14).
What’s striking here is that Eli is clearly a good guy! It’s hard to stomach that such a judgment would befall him and family because of his sons. There are certainly other stories in the Bible where good leaders’ kids are scoundrels, but this is hardly the outcome (even Samuel’s sons were scoundrels!).
So, what’s this all about? First, Eli’s family was part of the tribe of Levi, so the passing of priestly duties from generation to generation was crucial. It was essential that the next generation was holy. For Eli to be good servant and a good guy wasn’t enough. One of his major duties was to make sure that the mantle be passed on because of the calling of his family. This wasn’t his calling; it was his family’s calling.
Second, this story shows that being a “nice guy” isn’t enough. Too often, as Christians, we think being nice is of the highest priority. The Bible certainly calls all Christians to be courteous and loving towards all people (Rom. 12:18). However, Christians also have a prophetic role in society. That is, the church is called to be light to the world, a city on a hill, the salt of the earth. This means living up to a different standard. The result of this is that simply by obeying commands of living a Christian lifestyle, people around us will feel judged. It is what it is.
There were those who loved Jesus, and those who hated him. He was, after all, killed on a cross by his enemies. Those are some serious enemies. Jesus spoke harsh words out of love. The bottom line is that Jesus was much more than just a “nice guy”.
The redemption of the world requires more than merely “nice folks”. It requires the kind of people who are courageous enough to speak truth in love to a world in which confusion not only reigns, but is celebrated. We are living in an age of deep depravity and absurdity. People are more confused than ever. The most obvious and natural things of this world have become muddied, murky, and confusing. The strangest part of all is that the world is celebrating as it falls apart.
I, like most people, want to be liked. I want people to think positively of me. I want to be invited to the table as an equal voice, as a friend. I’m afraid, however, that this just isn’t possible in all circumstances when following Jesus faithfully. Niceness by itself will never bring eternal change and healing to a broken world.
When Jesus died on the cross, he started a revolution. He stood up as a rebel against the ways of the world, against the confusion of the world. His love for the world was greater than his desire to be loved by all.
