Put Cynicism to Death

“When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to his house steward, "Bring the men into the house, and slay an animal and make ready; for the men are to dine with me at noon." So the man did as Joseph said, and brought the men to Joseph's house. Now the men were afraid, because they were brought to Joseph's house; and they said, ‘It is because of the money that was returned in our sacks the first time that we are being brought in, that he may seek occasion against us and fall upon us, and take us for slaves with our donkeys.’”  Genesis 43:16-18

                Dick Keyes writes in Seeing Through Cynicism, “Cynicism, as we use it today, has to do with seeing through and unmasking positive appearances to reveal the more basic underlying motivations of greed, power, lust, and selfishness.”  Yesterday, President Obama presented a plan for gun control.  During his presentation, his eyes filled with tears.  I noticed articles, written by opponents to gun-control, calling his tears “crocodile tears”; implying that our president teared up only to sell his idea.  How do they know?  Why would they assume this?  Is it possible that President Obama, aware of the number Americans who are killed each year with guns, is actually saddened by that fact and he wants to help?  We may not agree with his solution, but that does not mean he is pretending.

                My state, Pennsylvania, does not have an approved budget.  The state legislature presented a budget in June that the Governor vetoed.  This impasse has meant that some charitable organizations who depend on public funding are not receiving funds.  Again on Facebook, friends regularly malign the legislators, assuming that the process is some sort of joke to them.  Is it possible that the legislature and the Governor are both taking stands on principles that they believe are best for our state?  This does not seem far-fetched to me.

                This brings me to the passage from Genesis 43, which reveals the problem of cynicism.  Joseph’s brothers, assumed that he was planning to do them harm.  They did not trust the Egyptians.  Up until this point, Joseph had only treated them with kindness.  Cynicism is not based—as some errantly assume—on previous experience that teaches us to distrust.  It is based in a fearful, faithless determination to protect ourselves even if that means that we must ignore God’s commands.  The brothers assumed that Joseph intended to harm them, when in reality, he planned to feast with them.  In their assumption, they maligned Joseph’s character to one another, breaking what would one day be the ninth commandment.  Cynicism is not wise, but diabolical, see Genesis 3:4-5.

                What is the solution?  As is most often the case, the solution is faith.  Will I trust God enough that I will not malign other people even if my assumption is right?  Will I believe that it is better to endure pain trusting that Jesus will comfort me, than to compromise God’s commands to be safe (Matthew 5:4)?  Will I follow Jesus even when it is hard, or painful?  Dietrich Bonhoeffer was imprisoned for attempting an assassination of Adolf Hitler.  In his prison cell he wrote to his parents, “Without trust, life is impoverished.”  If ever a man had the right to the cynics assumption, it would be a prisoner in Nazi Germany.  However, this man of God recognized that cynicism would rob him of joy.  He was unwilling to pay that price.  May God keep us from cynicism.