My wife, Natalie, and I have been catching up on the Fox blockbuster 24. Jack is back. And as she observed on Sunday in her sermon, what is striking is the fundamental simplicity of the story — all of the stories. The fate of the world hangs in the balance between the choices made by two kinds of people: Those who know the truth and are willing to sacrifice for it; and those who believe and live a life of lies, large and small. The navigation of life’s details is rarely quite so simple or clear cut, of course, and as any loyal 24 viewer knows, there will be difficult choices to make. But the choices, no matter how difficult are still made by two kinds people who are fundamentally different in their orientation to the world. What does God want for you life and mine? In any given instance, the details may be difficult to navigate. What is always clear is the kind of person God wants — men and women sold out to the Truth.
At the risk of sounding petulant, being “sold out to the Truth”, sounds more like a bumper sticker for a high school youth group than guidance for one’s life. Someone told me recently that the most helpful advice meets the SAM test: specific, actionable, and measurable. I don’t think “sold out to the Truth” meets the SAM test
Is the world made up of only two kinds of people? I don’t think so. There is a much broader spectrum of types and only one of the axes of comparison includes a commitment to the Truth (whatever that means). However, the sometimes mind-numbing complexity of our world creates a longing for a simple decision-making construct and Jack certainly models that.