Mixed Lies

Scripture: Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Messiah, a king.” Luke 23:1-2

Observation: Jesus is accused before Pilot of three things:

Claiming to be Messiah - Jesus did state he was Messiah, which was a valid statement ... it would have been only a crime against the Jews to claim Messiahship if you were not the Messiah.

Subverting 'our' nation - Jesus never subverted any nation or government, though he did oppose the invalid laws imposed by religious leaders and had others who agreed with him.

Opposing payment of taxes - Jesus never did this.

In other words, of these three things, one is a truthful statement, one is a twisted statement, and one is an outright lie. And this is how, in a dispute of the church, one can tell the difference between the just and the unjust. The just will either answer valid questions or remain silent before invalid questions (Jesus does both).

The unjust, however, will make three types of accusations. The will make accusations that are observably truthful though not a wrongdoing unless some other condition applies. They will make misleading accusations by exaggerating a specific fact. And they will outright lie, but do so only in the context of the other two, thus making people who may believe one of the other accusations also believe the lie.

Application: I have discussed this FAR too much in the last two months ... a just claim from a spirit-filled person never contains a lie. Never. The spirit cannot lie. I am glad to see the biblical support for this concept today, and understand how lies intermix with other types of invalid claims. Again, this reinforces what I have known.

Prayer: Lord, please do continue to bless Evergreen Church, and our leaders, pastors, and elders. May our mission in the world bring glory always and only to you. Not upon any man, but may our light only reflect the love of Jesus. Amen.