“When [Jesus] was insulted, he did not answer back with an insult… (1 Peter 2:23, NIV).

     I overheard a conversation a few days ago between a mom and her pre-K son. Mom was reprimanding the boy for taking an unauthorized package of chocolate chip cookies from the grocery shelf. The young man defiantly looked at her and spouted, “Well, what about daddy? He buys cookies and you don’t get mad at him.” Dad was standing only feet away as his wife glared in his direction. I imagine it was a long drive home for all of them.

     “Well, what about…?” is a question I hear a lot these days. When challenged about an inflammatory barb spoken against an opponent, a political rival will rebut, “Well, what about the awful thing she said about me last week?” “Well, what about our competitors?” has become the go-to defense for transportation executives when defending their decision to overinflate shipping charges.

     In light of the back-and-forth finger-pointing that is happening, my mother’s words continue echoing in my mind: Two wrongs don’t make a right. This kind of tit-for-tat game is as much a matter of justification as it is retaliation. “Well, what about…?” becomes a means of justifying our words and actions in light of our neighbor’s. “Well, I didn’t give you any of my candy because you wouldn’t allow me to play with your toys” becomes the pretext for childish manners.

     I once heard someone argue that two wrongs don’t make a right, but three lefts do. The truth is, however, that bad behavior can never become an excuse for bad behavior no matter how bad the behavior:

• • • No matter how much your neighbor annoys you.
    • Regardless of how often your family member takes you for granted.
    • In spite of the many ways your boss makes your work life miserable.

     Peter, one of Jesus’ closest friends, claimed that regardless of how often he was maligned, Jesus never acted in a way that caused him to rationalize his behavior. Of course, none of us is without fault. Yet glossing over our faults by comparing them with the faults of others cannot make us faultless.