Truth
A
rare commodity these days. We are in the midst of an election year and have
just come through a highly publicized impeachment process. Everyone in front of
a TV camera says they are telling the truth. Forget the obvious fact finding
flaws of the media. Would it help to remember the story of Pinocchio whose nose
grew longer every time he lied?
One
of the responsibilities of parenting is to teach children to tell the truth. It
is amazing that children have the predisposition to protect themselves even if
it means lying. It can be a painful lesson learning to tell the truth the first
time and not distort the facts in their favor.
Pilate,
the Roman ruler who pronounced the death sentence on Jesus, asked this straightforward
question: “What is truth?” Since that time humankind has endeavored to answer with
a wide range of philosophical, theological and political arguments. To this day
our world struggles with the truth.
The
Bible records these words of Jesus: “I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life.
Responding to a question from his disciples, Jesus explains that truth is not a
statement of fact but a person! All other ideas of truth are subject to the one
who is the truth. A challenging word for an unbelieving world.
Today,
Jesus’ disciples are admonished to live a life of truth. “What this adds up to,
then, is this: no more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth. In
Christ’s body, we’re all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to
others, you end up lying to yourself.”
Learning
to speak the truth in love is a lifelong process.
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