Crooked and perverse generation
His parents answered, “We know he is our son, and we know he was born blind. But how he can now see or who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him. He is old enough to speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews. For the Jews had already determined that anyone who confessed Jesus as the Christ would be put out of the synagogue. John 9: 20 -22
Today, people still deny the power of God to embrace the world’s influence. They fear they who kill the body, but do not reverence he who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. With growing social media and networks, people prioritise and pursue various relationships while neglecting fellowship with God and sometimes excommunicating him. They are more afraid of being put out of church than being refused entry into heaven. Jesus called them ‘a faithless and perverse generation’; Moses and Paul concur with a slight variation – “crooked and perverse generation”. What a tag!
What does it mean to be faithless, crooked and perverse?
Faithless
The faithless are:
- Unbelieving; not giving credit.
- Not believing on God or religion; specifically, not believing in the Christian religion.
- Not observant of promises or covenants.
- Not true to allegiance, duty, or vows; perfidious; treacherous; disloyal; not of true fidelity; inconstant, as a husband or a wife.
- Serving to disappoint or deceive; delusive; unsatisfying.
By implication, the faithless are traitorous, double-crossing and back –stabbers. In essence, they are wicked.
Wicked
The Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary defines it as:
- Having a wick; — used chiefly in composition; as, a two-wicked lamp.
- Evil in principle or practice; deviating from morality; contrary to the moral or divine law; addicted to vice or sin; sinful; immoral; profligate; — said of persons and things; as, a wicked king; a wicked woman; a wicked deed; wicked designs.
- Cursed; baneful; hurtful; bad; pernicious; dangerous.
- Ludicrously or sportively mischievous; disposed to mischief; roguish.
The wicked are highly immoral and offensive, ethically bad in principle or practice, intensely or extremely bad and unpleasant in their dealings. These people constantly arouse aversion or disgust either by their values or actions. A wicked woman will starve or disrespect her husband and set a bad example for the children, a wicked man is an infidel who is generous outdoors but refuses to provide, protect, and please his wife and kids; a wicked child is disobedient to parents, ungrateful, insolent and roams the street causing havoc.
The LORD observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. And if wicked people turn from their wickedness, obey the law, and do what is just and right, they will save their lives. Genesis 6:5; Ezekiel 18:27
Crooked
The crooked are:
- Characterized by a crook or curve; not straight; turning; bent; twisted; deformed.
- Not straightforward; deviating from rectitude; distorted from the right.
- False; dishonest; fraudulent; as, crooked dealings.
- By implication, a crook.
A crooked person always has bumps, bends, and angles about them. The crooked is never straightforward – there is always a curve or slope to their life. Their story never adds up and anything they touch become misaligned. They are odd, misshapen, dishonest, immoral and evasive.
Society is full off crooked and corrupt criminals who invade countries, impoverish them to enrich themselves. Ahab’s who don’t mind forfeiting their kingdom for Naboth’s’ vineyard. Governments that seek their good above that of their people. Politicians who make empty promises. Law enforcements who without conscience or remorse go on a killing spree. Lawyers who pervert the course of justice. Companies who exploit their workers. Pastors who never tire from receiving seed offering but neglect the well-being of their flock. They are 419ers, The Grifters, Ocean’s thirteen who challenge you to catch them if you can.
The crooked heart will not prosper; the lying tongue tumbles into trouble. The LORD detests people with crooked hearts, but he delights in those with integrity. Proverbs 17:20; 11:20
Perverse
To be perverse is to:
- Turn away from the right; willfully err; be wicked; be perverted.
- Be obstinate in the wrong; stubborn; intractable; hence, wayward; vexing; contrary.
This category of people actually know right from wrong but are resistant to guidance or discipline. They tend to do the opposite of what is considered moral, proper, right, normal, or required. Perverse people oppose and contradict good behaviour. They have warped thinking, depraved minds and engage in indecent acts. Perverse people bribe, steal, abort, lie, and cheat – all things questionable and forbidden. You might have one sitting right next to you.
They have corrupted themselves; they are not His children, because of their blemish: a perverse and crooked generation. Whoever walks uprightly shall be delivered; but he that is perverse in his ways shall fall at once. Deuteronomy 32:5; Proverbs 28:18
I keep pondering on how the parents of this young man responded to the kindness of Jesus. They denied him having just received a healing miracle. I would like to the think that their community is not much different from what we have now – the shame, pain, insults and lack they would have suffered due to their predicament. In a moment, they received a grace that displaced the disgrace and what? Their response is “we do not know!” How ungracious and ungrateful?
The good news today is no matter how faithless, wicked, crooked or perverse you have been, you can, with the help of the Holy Spirit change your ways by trusting, obeying God and walking uprightly and in integrity.