August 16 of every year is celebrated as National Authenticity Day, a day to recognize and demonstrate the beauty and the power of authenticity.  Part of being authentic is being real so that there is a much better chance of connecting to other people.  There is a special emphasis on people feeling free to express their unique qualities rather than simply trying to be like everyone else, thereby inspiring others to follow their example.

        “Words from Above” in the Bible absolutely would agree that being an authentic person is a quality to be commended, especially when it comes to being an authentic follower of Jesus.  We all know how easy it is for people to make the claim of being a follower of Jesus, but fall extremely far short of backing up that claim with appropriate actions.  Jesus often spoke about the religious leaders of His day being what He called hypocrites by the way they lived.  They strongly emphasized the need to follow the Law of Moses, to whom God gave the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai, but Jesus said they put a heavy burden on average people by this emphasis.

        In John 8, we are told that one day as Jesus was teaching, the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery and positioned her in the middle of the crowd.  They made the point that the Law of Moses required that she should be stoned, but they wanted to know what Jesus had to say about her.  They were testing Him because they wanted to be able to accuse Him of saying the wrong thing, but instead He stooped down and wrote with His finger on the ground as if he did not hear them.  As they continued to ask Him about her, He finally stood up and told them that whoever among them was without sin should cast the first stone.  Again, He stooped down and wrote on the ground, and they began to leave one by one, as they were convicted by their own consciences until only Jesus and the woman were still there.

        When Jesus saw that the woman was there, but her accusers had left, He asked her where they had gone, and was there anyone left to condemn her.  When she replied that no one was left to condemn her, He said that He did not condemn her either, and that she should go and sin no more.  It is easy to see that her accusers were not being at all authentic, but accusing her of sin when they themselves were guilty of sins in their own lives.

Larry R. Steffee is pastor of the Center Hill Brethren In Christ Church on Miller Road in Smithville.  Everyone is welcome to attend.  For informa-tion, you may email lrsteffeetn@yahoo.com.