For the Wages of Sin is Death

It has been two weeks since I last posted a blog.  During that time, Marlys and I have traveled with our kids and grandkids (we missed our Texas 4 who could not join us) around the East Coast.  We spent time in Washington DC, then up to Lancaster County PA with a trip to Gettysburg and Philadelphia.  Finally it was off to Niagara Falls, Canada, then heading home.  It was a journey through 11 states and 1 Canadian province.  Lots of memories and highlights were recorded that will forever be etched in our lives.

So much is happening in our world right now that it is difficult trying to keep up.  The situation in Syria continues to deteriorate and has the potential of being explosive.  The prophet Isaiah foretold the destruction of Damascus - could that event be nearer than we realize?  And don't forget Egypt and the ongoing struggle between the new President Mohamed Morsi and the Egyptian military leaders who want to continue controlling Egypt.  Then there was the horrific crime in Aurora, CO where 12 innocent people lost their lives because of one madman.  Remember, the Bible tells us that in the latter days, lawlessness will increase.  I think every major city in America can affirm that.  Even recently near the Twin Cities, in River Falls, WI, a father viciously slashed the throats of his three daughters, then nicely tucked them into bed.  Yes, evil is becoming increasingly more evident.

But I would like to focus for a few moments this week on a story that I found very sad, yet so aptly illustrates the consequences of sin and the impact sin can have upon so many, even those who were not involved.  This past Monday, the president of the NCAA handed down some harsh penalties against Penn State University for its failure to act with regard in the Jerry Sandusky affair.  You will remember that Sandusky was an assistant football coach for the legendary Joe Paterno at the University.  Earlier this summer he was convicted on multiple accounts of sexual assault on minor boys over the course of at least 10 years.  The report of the Freeh Commission investigating this matter indicated that many of the leaders of the University knew about Sandusky and his molestations but turned a blind eye. 

The problem was the fact that football at Penn State had become the god of the university.  Joe Paterno, who coached at PSU for over four decades, consistently had a top ten football program in the country.  The football program at PSU was almost as legendary as was the program at Notre Dame or Southern California.  And, over the years, Paterno had stressed his interest, not just in creating athletes, but men who knew the values of life.  But something happened - and that something was success.  It seems that the more successful we become, the less in touch with life we become as well.  Success breeds as many difficulties, or perhaps even more, than does failure.  As the successful seasons mounted, Joe Paterno grew from just being the football coach, to becoming the living symbol of Penn State University.  Somewhere, back around 1998-1999, Coach Paterno was made aware of the criminal acts of one of his assistant coaches.  And, according to the Freeh report, Coach Paterno turned a blind eye, as did other PSU leaders.  Perhaps they thought this was just a momentary indiscretion that would go away.  Rather it became a monster that would not quit until it had destroyed all in its path.

Now the penalties have been handed down.  Will they remove the stigma that now taints Penn State University?  Should that stigma ever be removed?  What impact do those penalties have upon other major universities who have winked at wrong doing committed by its coaches and athletes?  Is it time for a de-emphasis upon collegiate athletics, especially those who rake in big dollars for universities through TV contracts?  I don't have any answers, but I believe this might be a good place to start.  Historically, colleges and universities had as their primary focus the training of men and women to be educators, architects, business leaders, scientists, physicians, etc.  Now, many have become minor league camps for football, basketball, and other sports.  Now I must admit that I enjoy a Saturday afternoon on a college campus watching my Iowa State Cyclones, but perhaps it is time to rethink the power college athletics have.

One of the strongest penalties was the impact upon the legacy of Joe Paterno.  His reputation went from one of sterling silver to rusted iron.  Forever, when one mentions the name of Joe Paterno, the first thing that will enter one's mind is not the football players and men who he produced, nor the victories he won, but the lives of ten young men who were brutalized by one of his assistants while he turned away.  Perhaps it is good that Joe passed away earlier this year from cancer. 

And, one further thought - I was reading this morning one writer crying out that the penalties hit young men who were not part of the Sandusky years.  Their lives have now been altered.  Were the penalties fair to them?  Of course not!  But penalties often are imposed upon the innocent as well as the guilty.  Take, as an example, the story of King Zedekiah - the last king of Judah.  Although warned time and again by the prophet Jeremiah that he needed to repent of his evil ways and lead the people of Judah back to God, the king consistently refused.  And so judgment came upon him and the people as well in the form of captivity into Babylon.  Were there people who were taken into captivity who had not bowed to idols or partaken of the evils of the day?  Absolutely.  The consequences of sin impact not only the sinner, but others as well.  David's sin with Bathsheba impacted his family for generations. 

Let's learn the lesson of Joe Paterno and Penn State's football program.  When sin is known it is always the right thing to do to expose it and get rid of it.  When sin is allowed to be hidden, it will grow and become a monster that will eventually destroy all around it, including legacies of those now longer alive.  Let us remember - "the wages of sin is death..."