Well, now we apparently know that Empire actor Jussie Smollett’s fanciful — and now discredited — allegations of a racist, homophobic attack last month were all about one thing — MONEY. Not content with making upwards of $65,000 per episode for 18 episodes (which translates into over $1 million per season), Chicago Police have concluded that Smollett not only sent a threatening letter to the studio, but concocted his alleged attack story in order to advance his career.
Despite telling Robin Roberts on ABC’s Good Morning America that he was attacked by white, racist, homophobic, MAGA-shouting Trump supporters because he was a gay, black man who had “come really, really hard” against the President and his administration, emerging facts paint a far different story. The Jussie Smollett story is not about racism. It is not about homophobia. It is not about rogue and racist Trump supporters in Chicago. This story is about good, ole’ fashioned greed.
That Smollett succumbed to a love for money is not new or unique. Many a man and woman have given in to one of humanity’s most basic temptations. It is no coincidence that the Bible has much to say about money. In fact, Jesus Himself spoke about money a lot. How much? According to Christian financial expert Howard Dayton, Jesus spent more time on the subject of finances — money and material possessions — than He did on heaven and hell combined.
Why did Jesus spend so much of His earthly ministry — at least as recorded in the Gospels — warning about misplaced love for money? Perhaps because He knew that humans — sinful, fallen creatures that we are — are tempted to love money, along with sex and power, more than we love Him. The Apostle John summarized that reality when he wrote:
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s possessions — is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does the will of God remains forever.” 1 John 2:15-17 (CSB)
Does Jussie Smollett love what the world has to offer — money, material possessions, power, fame — more than he loves God? Only he and God truly know that. But, after hearing the foolish, bizarre, and sad facts of this story unfold — like sending a terroristic letter in the mail and paying your accomplices with a check (even Charles Barkley wants to know who does that) — the truth of 1 Timothy 6:9-10 could not be more clear:
“But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away form he faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
In the end, Jussie Smollett has no one to blame but himself. His own greed and desire for even more money apparently led him to set his own trap, one that may very well plunge him headlong into career ruin and destruction. However, the Jussie Smollett story does not have to end on a sad note. In fact, it can end on a redemptive note. But, that’s entirely up to Mr. Smollett. As of now, he continues to deny any guilt and insists that he is an innocent man, wrongly accused, a victim of a broken and unjust legal system.
Maybe he is. Smollett, like all accused in this country, deserves a presumption of innocence unless and until he is either proven guilty in a court of law or he so pleads. That is the standard for our legal system. Not so in the court of public opinion, which has already tried Smollett and found him guilty. But, at the end of the day and at the end of life, neither the legal system or the court of public opinion will matter. It is what happens with the Judge of the Universe. Will He find you guilty or innocent? Will you plead your own goodness and merit or will you plead the blood of Jesus and His merit?
For Jussie and for all of us, it’s not how the story begins or its twists and turns that matter most. It really is about how the story ends. And, for it to end well for Jussie Smollett (or for any of us), it will require confession and repentance toward God. That brings true redemption. The good news is that God’s redemption is available for everyone, including Jussie Smollett. It will be on His terms and it will not be cheap. After all, it cost God His One and Only Son.