We’re all guilty of it — looking at the surface of things
without considering the substance. For example, I like fonts: all kinds of
fonts. And if you like fonts, too, then you know that style means a lot; except
when you begin actually reading what’s been written with those beautiful and
stylish fonts!
God says he doesn’t see the way people see (1 Sam 16:7). He
said this to Samuel when Samuel was commanded to anoint King Saul’s
replacement. Samuel sees the oldest of Jesse’s sons and thinks to himself, “This
is the next king!” But that’s when God says no …
Jesus tells us not to judge by appearances, but judge
righteous judgment (John 7:24). I was reminded of the Lord’s statement when
this week a convicted felon’s arrest picture became viral on the arresting police
station’s Facebook page (30,000+ likes for this dude’s photo). I know some
people were trying to be funny about it all, but this is another symptom of our
society’s sickness — we’d rather set a man free who looks nice (and that is
subjective: he scared me and I believe that if most people saw or spoke to him “on
the street,” they’d run away) than let justice be served.
I have also read of preachers criticized for a lack of style over substance (e.g., the apostle Paul by the Corinthians — see 1 Cor 2:4 and 2 Cor 10:10). It's obviously not a modern problem since the same apostle forewarned Timothy that there would be those who would prefer having their ears tickled (2 Tim 4:3-4).
Where else are we more about style than substance? Motorcycles.
I really shouldn’t even begin on this subject (it’s one of my favorites). I
ride a 2013 Star 950T, and I sometimes get people asking about the bags — e.g., “Are
they aftermarket?” Nope, they actually came with the bike and not only look
good, but are huge and lockable. And then sometimes the portentous question
comes: “Is it a Harley?” Nope, it’s a Star … a what? I love it and that’s all I
really care about. I actually came across a man while I was refueling who concluded
for me, “If it’s not a Harley then who cares?” Style over substance … and
reliability … and cost … and, actually, style!
Let’s care enough to look past the surface. I often heard
growing up that you can’t (or shouldn’t) judge a book by its cover. But we do
anyway, don’t we? Why do we do it? Sometimes it’s simply because of laziness. And laziness breeds apathy.
