I love the fable about the scorpion and the frog. If you haven’t heard it, it goes like this:

A frog was relaxing on the riverbank when a scorpion crawled up and asked him for a ride across the river.
“Please Mr. Frog, I’ll rest on your back and won’t weigh you down. Please give me a ride.”
The frog looks at him and says, “You’re a scorpion. Stinging is in your nature. You’ll sting me halfway across and we’ll both drown.”
The scorpion says, “Oh no, why would I do that? I would drown too. Of course I won’t sting you.”
He continues to whine and wheedle and the frog, against his better judgment, knowing what the scorpion’s nature is, but feeling like he should be nice, says, “Well, okay, just this once.”
So off they go. Halfway across the river the scorpion begins to sting the frog viciously, again and again.
The frog is shocked and as the poison seeps through his system and they begin to sink beneath the water he says, “But you promised you wouldn’t sting me. Now we’re both going to die!”
The scorpion shrugs and says, “I suppose we will. But what else could I do, it’s my nature.”

What never ceases to surprise me is how people, when faced with scorpions, trolls and hateful, abusive people continue to volunteer to take them across the river. They are what they are. Jesus Christ recognized them for what they were and publicly chastised them, letting everyone within earshot know exactly what He thought of them. He had nothing to do with them. He didn’t try to save them, rescue them, change them or redeem them. If they wanted to change themselves, He was open to it, but He didn’t waste his time. He wasn’t polite about it either.

A bully is a bully is a bully. A pedophile is a pedophile is a pedophile. A troll is a troll is a troll. They do what they do because it is in their nature. I’m all for being kind and understanding. But I’m also not stupid.

If you want to welcome a scorpion onto your back and swim them across the river because they’ve promised to be something they’re not, then you’re welcome to take your chances. I for one will sit on the riverbank and watch.