"Satan’s Mentally Challenged Younger Brother"

John 18.33-34 NLT

“Then Pilate went back into his headquarters and called for Jesus to be brought to him. ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ he asked him.

“Jesus replied, ‘Is this your own question, or did others tell you about me?’”

If you’re looking for an entertaining read, pick up An Inconvenient Book by Glenn Beck[1]. He’ll make you think and maybe laugh. Jon Stewart of The Daily Show says... “Finally! A guy who says what people who aren’t thinking, are thinking.” Horror fiction writer, Stephen King, called Beck “Satan’s mentally challenged younger brother.” You can’t buy that kind of press. Beck humorously presents more common sense, exposes more hypocrisy, and asks more honest questions than many other current books I’ve read. Take his “Online Dating Glossary” for example, which compares the digital and real worlds of the dating industry.[2]

DIGITAL WORLD.................................... REAL WORLD

Mature.........................................................Bald

Up for anything...........................................Bisexual

Outdoorsy...................................................Homeless

Rubenesque................................................ Fat-esque

Enjoy long walks on the beach................... Fugitive

Occasional drinker..................................... Cirrhosis of the liver

Ready to love...............................................Married

More to life than work................................ Bankrupt

I wonder how many concepts I assume to be true because “others” (so-called authority figures) told me they were true? Did I personally investigate Al Gore’s sensationalized global warming claims in the film An Inconvenient Truth? Do I buy America’s politics of correctness? Have I subscribed to the media’s version of the perfect body type? Am I reluctant to discipline my child because someone told me it would hurt his self-esteem? Do I believe the commonly held notion that the First Amendment of the Constitution teaches “the separation of church and state” and for that reason the church should not be involved in politics?[3] Have I adopted the popular philosophy of tolerance equals love? Do I applaud rampant spirit of entitlement and appeasement fostered by our government and society? Have I been influenced by culture think “live and let live” is equal to “love my neighbor”?

Implied in Pilate’s question was a bit of foreknowledge. Did he recognize on his own initiative that Jesus was quite possibly “the king of the Jews”? Was it an honest question from personal evaluation? Was Pilate a for-real seeker of truth? Or, did someone else tip him off? Jesus wanted to know.

“Is this your question, or did others tell you about me?”

Don’t believe what others tell you. Find out for yourself. Ask questions. Seek truth. Knock on the door of knowledge. Like Jesus said,

“Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find;

knock, and it shall be opened to you.”
Matthew 7.7 NASB

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[1] An Inconvenient Book ~ Real Solutions to the World’s Biggest Problems, Glenn Beck and Kevin Balfe, Threshold Editions, 2007.

[2] Ibid., p. 74.

[3] This is the actual text of the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” The phrase “separation of church and state” does is not appear in the Constitution. The First Amendment was established to protect U.S. citizens from the controlling influence of a state religion, not to restrict the church from impacting government.