CYNICISM
Pessimism, skepticism, distrust, doubt, even scorn are synonyms for cynicism. Some live in a world of cynical attitudes and character ~ glass half-empty as opposed to glass half-full. They live under a cloud, in the shadows, full of negativity. A happy person shys away from asking how they’re doing, because once they tell you, you too may become depressed.
There are spiritual cynics who delight more in what they are against than what they are for. If the Good Samaritan were a cynic he would have passed by the man beaten by robbers thinking he probably deserved it. (Luke 10:25-27) Instead, the priest and the Levite, religious leaders, seemed to draw that conclusion. Pitiful.
Jesus confronted a cynic when he visited Simon, the Pharisee. He was reclining at dinner when a sinful woman knelt and began wetting his feet with an alabaster jar of perfume and her tears as she stood behind him. Simon was blind to her caring love, instead, in his cynical attitude he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is ~ that she is a sinner” (Luke 7:39).
All types of people can be cynics: Christians, unbelievers, rich, poor, intelligent, foolish. What they lack is a capacity for loving someone other than themselves, and often, loving themselves is a stretch. They get along with other cynics ~ but resist the rights of others to be positive, cheerful, optimistic, and thankful. If anything, they wonder how joyful people milked the system better than they.
Jesus summed up the Pharisee’s cynical problem this way, “Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little” (Luke 7:44-47).
Isn’t it obvious? I mean, isn’t the difference between a healthy attitude of thankfulness, joy, and love completely the opposite of the doubtful, scornful heart of the cynic! Does not a cynic realize how sad their lives are? Do they not realize they can turn misery into happiness?
How does a cynic change? Sadly, by himself he doesn’t ~ but Jesus can change him. “Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven” (vs. 48). It seems to me that nothing in all the world can wash away the cynicism and scornfulness of one more than knowing God was still on his side, still in his corner, still offering hope beyond hope. Nobody has to walk through life dragging their chin, being the victim, and resenting everyone else whose found a smile. If I were a cynic, in a heartbeat I would trade my cynicism in on the hope Christ offers. I wonder if the Pharisee got Jesus’ message?