Matthew 21:28-32New King James Version (NKJV – Jesus said, “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ 29 He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. 30 Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?”
They said to Him, “The first.”
Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.
My parents always told me that it was more important what I did rather than what I said. Actions speak louder than words as the old saw goes.
A famous talk show host once went off on the fact that people were outraged at him for what he said when others who actually did outrageous things got a pass. The matter came up because of a bit he would do called a caller abortion. He said that it occurred to him that a caller was not a caller until the call was completed. The call was screened, he answered. The caller spoke and if the caller was interesting and on topic and a conversation ensued all was well. But if he was bored or didn’t like the topic or the callers voice, or if he felt the call might damage the rest of the program he would “abort” it. He played the sound of a vacuum cleaner over the call and it was gone. Perhaps what outraged people the most was a very faint scream in the background noise of the vacuum.
As I said people were offended and outraged and he did a segment just on this topic. He said “I am a voice on the radio that you can turn off at anytime”. No one is forced to listen and yet people went ballistic over what he said. Some called what he did an obscenity. He said the real obscenity took place thousands of times a day and yet people were more upset over what he said rather than what others did.
It is an interesting conundrum. One of our Presidential candidates is constantly in trouble for what he says while the other seems to be covered in Teflon over what she did. The nattering class say it is “baked into the cake” of this candidate and the people that support her will no matter what. So immersed in scandals for so long that it is baked into the cake of perception and makes no difference in how folks vote.
Meanwhile the President of the United States makes videos about untangling the power cords for smart phones and his approval ratings climb. He talks about how things are better today under his watch, and his approval ratings climb. Once again the difference between what one says and what one actually does.
