February 2023
One of the hardest things to do in life is tell the truth. It is common when under a little stress or a lot of pressure to fudge the truth – to save face or reputation and gain the favor of other people. Sometimes telling the truth can be scary. You have no idea what the consequences will be – whether someone will judge you unfairly or give you a punishment you may or may not deserve. Telling the truth requires a lot of courage, character, and faith – that God will be with you on the other side of your honesty. Jesus talked a lot about coming into the light, always speaking truth, and that he was the light of the world, and “the way, the truth, and the life.” Telling lies keeps us in the dark. Lies cause us to retreat into our own little secret world where we do not want anyone else to enter. However, over time they eat away at us like a disease or cancer because they keep us from being close to others and to God. Telling the truth keeps us close to God.
This week is the beginning of the Lenten season – the forty-day walk towards the death and resurrection of our Lord. We are asked by Christian tradition at this time of year to consider what we need to give up in our lives – those things which have become idols for us, or temptations, or distractions from our more full devotion and love of God. Have you ever considered giving up telling lies, even little ones, for Lent? Perhaps you have been carrying around truths about yourself for years or what you did to yourself or someone else that continues to weigh you down and keep you enveloped in the darkness of your frightened soul. Now might be the day to find a person, who also loves God, to confess those closeted truths about yourself. Or now might be a good time to admit to yourself how many little white lies you have been telling yourself on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. For some people lying has become so engrained in their lives they hardly know they are doing it. For this Lenten season, try telling the truth for 40 straight days, confessing when you slip, staying close to God the whole time; and see what happens, what greater light, peace, and wisdom might enter your life as the result of you telling the truth more often.
When I was visiting the Arabian Peninsula last fall, meeting with people who were working with Muslims who had become followers of Jesus, the one thing I heard many times was how difficult it was for a new believer to trust another new believer since they had both come from a culture that allows telling lies as a necessity of life. Under certain circumstances, Islam allows a person to lie to preserve their own life, or harmony within their families, or maintain a favorable status or impression. Muslims are very much influenced by an honor and shame culture. Therefore, if the goal is important or pious enough, lying is permissible to achieve it according to identifiable circumstances. Of course, the Quran also emphasizes the importance of telling the truth and the value of it. But these openings or exceptions for lying can often be abused and become corrosive, especially if you are frightened of God, his impending judgment of your life, and do not want him to know everything about you. The pressure to maintain a favorable impression or honor in a Muslim context can place enormous pressure on a Muslim to tell the truth or not. Unfortunately, this can lead to a great temptation to lie to yourself, your neighbor and even to God. A Muslim coming to faith in Jesus, who demands telling the truth under all circumstances, is often challenged to adopt a new attitude of saying things forthrightly with complete honesty – traits which foster more trusting and lasting relationships, undergirded by greater vulnerability and forgiveness. This reorientation can take months and even years of healing and discipleship to take root in a new believer from a Muslim background. Please pray for my friends in the Middle East who are helping and loving these brave new followers of Jesus.
There are numerous references in the Gospels of Jesus demonstrating and teaching the need to tell the truth under all circumstances. Since God is both truth and love from a Christian perspective, the more we practice these two virtues, with the help of the Holy Spirit, the more freely we can walk in the loving presence of God, the river of life for our souls, and the light of the world. When Jesus was arrested and brought before Pontius Pilate before his crucifixion, the governor almost begged Jesus to lie so that he could release him. But Jesus refused. He was willing to face whatever circumstances resulted from telling the truth. Christianity makes no exception about telling the truth even when a believer is faced with the possibility of being persecuted or killed. That is why it is said that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church. In the First and Second Centuries, the Church grew tremendously in size and numbers in large part because the society at the time had never seen so many people willing to die for their faith rather than hide or disguise the truth newly formed within them.
When Jesus and Pilate were finally alone in the governor’s chamber, Pilate turned to Jesus and said, “’…Your own people and their leading priests brought you to me for trial. Why? What have you done?’ Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my kingdom is not of this world.’ ‘What is truth?’ Pilate asked…When Pilate heard this, he was more frightened than ever. He took Jesus into the headquarters again and asked him, ‘Where are you from?’ But Jesus gave no answer. ‘Why don’t you talk to me?’ Pilate demanded. ‘Don’t you realize that I have the power to release you or crucify you?’ Then Jesus said, ‘You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above. So, the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.’” (John 18:35b,36,19:8-11)
Pilate was mesmerized, frustrated, and perplexed by Jesus. Jesus was not playing by the normal rules of the game. Normally, people lie to save their lives or reputation. Normally, people make secret deals to advance their causes and enhance their careers or statuses. Jesus was doing none of these things. He was repeatedly telling the truth and willing to face the consequences. Why? Because he knew the power of God was greater than any power Pilate or the Jewish leaders possessed. He was confident of God’s just conclusion and judgement of the circumstances he was facing. It was the truth that was going to set him free, not Pilate.
It is not easy to always stay in the light when darkness beckons at our door each day wanting us to go back into our comfortable closets of self-deception and lies. However, what we need to remember above all else is that God is love, full of compassion, and always ready to offer forgiveness to us. If our God were distant, unpredictable, hard to read and understand, full of more judgment than mercy, we would be in a lot of trouble, and anxious most of the time. But we aren’t. We have a God always ready to help us if we face the consequences of our own actions, thoughts, or lies, no matter how wayward or harmful they might have been. Mercy and forgiveness are the treasures of the Christian life, and the characteristics of our loving God that makes new life possible each day – if we are courageous enough to tell the truth to him, ourselves, and others.
Some people go to church every day during Lent; some set aside more time for prayer and reflection in the comfort of their own home. Others secure a room at a retreat center, find a trusted counselor, or tell their loved ones they will be back after a couple of days of rest, Bible reading, and prayer. It is never easy to align our lives with truth. It takes time and effort and a lot of courage. It takes a community of compassionate people to surround us. But it is always worth it, bearing fruit for an eternity.
As we head into our own, individual Lenten experiences, I leave you with these words from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who said to his disciples who had decided to continue following and believing in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”(John 8:31b,32)
