The Truth....

It is amazing that you read passages over and over but completely miss things. I guess our lives are so busy that we must force ourselves to "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). In this fast-paced world of so many gadgets, it truly is hard to be still and think; yet, those times of personal and spiritual reflection are invaluable.

On my drive home this evening, I was pondering two verses from Matthew 21. Verse 26 and verse 45 contain a similar phrase: "they feared the multitude." In this first instance, the religious rulers demanded an answer from Christ, but He told them to answer Him first. They chose not to answer because He forced them to make a choice -- admit who sent John the Baptist (God), which would destroy their "religious authority," or call John the Baptist a mere man, which would rile the people against them because they perceived him to be a prophet. They chose the neutral position of not saying anything.

The second instant is rather similar because they were angry at Jesus. Again, Christ confronted them with truth, but, instead of changing, they hoped to end this Jesus issue once and for all. They did nothing because they feared the people's view of Jesus as a great prophet.

In both of these vignettes, the religious rulers -- those that were to set the tone for the entire nation -- chose error over truth. They had opportunities to recognize Jesus as God and follow Him, but they held on to personal pride and prestige instead of humbling themselves before the truth.

I had never thought about these passages in that manner until this afternoon, and then I thought about my life's routine. This application fits both the physical, social, and spiritual worlds that we inhabit. We want to preserve what we know as a comfortable or secure life, and that often means remaining silent when we should not. The old adage that "silence means assent" applies perfectly here. Do we or do we not value the truth? If we value the truth, then it should be spoken at every opportunity. Yes, revealing of truth needs to be done with love and in tactful manners; however, not speaking the truth is perpetuating error.

Do you love the truth? If so, do you live truthfully? That last question is the penetrating one for me. I pray that God will challenge my heart and mind to speak the truth when the opportunities are presented to me.