“suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you” (v13).
Did you ever throw a party when your parents were out of town? Come on. Be honest. It’s just you and me. While that’s not something I would EVER do, I’ve heard stories about these blowouts. You invite a few buds to come hang out and, before you know it what’s hit you, several hundred of your closest friends descend on your house. It’s exploded into a full scale Project X. When the sun rises in the morning, you can’t believe the carnage. You can pick up the beer cans. You can probably even fix the broken furniture. But those stains aren’t coming out. Your parents’ spotless home is a disgusting and filthy mess. That’s the picture Pete paints of the damage done by false teachers in local churches. Stains are everywhere.
These sinful snake oil salesman are bilking local churches for big bucks. The apostle warned us before, “In their greed they will exploit you with false words” (2:3). They’ve made more than a couple of quick bucks from these unsuspecting followers of Jesus. But there’s one final score they’ll receive that they don’t know is coming. One final “reward” for their con. It’s what James Brown calls “The Big Payback.” You can be sure that they will suffer “wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing” (v13). You see, Jesus will make sure that they don’t get away with it. Think of it this way. The false teachers will receive wages for their wicked work. But this paycheck is God’s payback. As the great Protector and Hero of His church, Christ will come her rescue (2:9). He’ll also punish the bad guys. As the Godfather of Soul says this is “The Big Payback.” And they’ll never see it coming.
But before they get what’s coming to them, it’s party time. “They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime” (v13). The words Pete uses in the original text reveal an out-of-control, over-the-top lifestyle. They let us in on a life of extravagance. The food and drink never stop. Absolutely and utter hedonism. As a matter of fact, that’s one of the Greek words he uses! These false teachers are using the cash they’ve conned out of the churches to finance a party at the Playboy Mansion. Think “The Wolf of Wall Street.” And this shindig gets cranked up long before the sun goes down. They don’t wait until dark. As the song says, “It’s five o’clock somewhere!” They’re living large and loving every minute of it.
The apostle cuts to the chase and calls these ungodly grifters for what they really are. “They are blots and blemishes” (v13). He previously called them “irrational animals” (2:12). Compared to the sparkling righteousness of Jesus that He’s given the local church, the false teachers are disgusting stains of sin. They aren’t an itty bitty spot from spaghetti sauce. We’re talking huge stains. Smears. Smudges. A huge, greasy streak of filth. They’ve dragged Jesus’ bride through the cesspool of sin. Her beautiful white wedding gown is disgusting. How will it ever come out?
Forget Oxyclean. Jesus will supernaturally clean His church for the big wedding. He will make sure His bridge walks down the aisle “without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish” (Eph 5:27). Our Savior won’t just kick these con men to the curb. He’s going to come in and clean up the mess they’ve left behind. That’s good news for you and me. There’s no stain to tough. There’s no sin to bad. He can handle it. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Is 1:18).
Pete lets his readers know that the false teachers are nothing but two-faced hypocrites. They’re “reveling in their deceptions while they feast with you” (v13). One minute they’re partying like rock stars. Sex, drugs, rock and roll. The next minute these con artists hit the church doors like Billy Graham. They’re doing all of this right under the noses of their victims. This is all going down while they are celebrating the Lord’s Supper with God’s people.
Just like I, uh I mean, YOU never got away with that wild party, the false teachers are going to have to face the music for what they’ve done. They are nasty stains on the local church. Filthy streaks on the wedding dress of Jesus’ bride.
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