When Faced with Our Own Truth

Scripture: “Listen to me carefully. We’re on our way up to Jerusalem. When we get there, the Son of Man will be betrayed to the religious leaders and scholars. They will sentence him to death. Then they will hand him over to the Romans, who will mock and spit on him, give him the third degree, and kill him. After three days he will rise alive.” Mark 10:33-34

Observation: The truth is, Jesus could not have been more clear about what was about to happen to him. What he outlines here is exactly what transpires ... the Jewish leaders will accuse him of violating the law and sentence him to death, then the Romans will carry out that sentence and kill him, after which he will rise from the dead three days later. Even if you don't believe that would or can happen, there's really no way of not understanding that is what Jesus says will happen. Yet, the disciples just don't understand.

It seems this lack of understanding must be rooted in the idea that this is all just unthinkable. In their context, they see two completely unchallengeable facts. First, once people are dead, they are dead and cannot "rise". Yes, they have seen Jesus perform miracles that seemingly contradict that, but not upon himself, and no well after the person is buried. Second, Jesus is the Messiah, so it cannot be that the Jewish leaders themselves - the ones most studied about prophesy and who teach others about this very topic - will be the ones who reject and accuse and condemn Messiah.

The second of these facts - Jesus is Messiah - was clearly true. However, the conclusion that educated humans won't reject that fact, substitute their own version of truth, and then act upon their own conclusions, was wrong.

The first of these facts - the dead cannot be resurrected - was clearly false. Jesus had already done it, and would do it again soon with Lazarus. God can do whatever he wants, and the disciples assuming it couldn't be done was them rejecting that fact, substituting their own truth. Their conclusion was wrong.

Application: I was talking to my wife the other night about the modern phrase "living (or speaking) my truth". This is what someone says when they justify declaring their own thoughts on a topic ... that the declaration is "my truth". The issue is that this is often done when two or more people are in wild disagreement about the facts of a situation. The implication is that, by naming their version "truth", it is now unassailable fact. Since "truth" by definition cannot be false, "my truth" cannot be false.

This is all a concept I hate, and it is a concept that permeates mankind today ... and apparently has done so for thousands of years. Yes, it goes back to original sin. However, we at least used to leave room for the idea that such stances were still personal opinions or decisions or conclusions, and that they could be wrong.

There are many things about which I believe I know the truth, and I'm sure I'm wrong about many of them. But I do know there is only one source for truth, and that is the Lord. I must not have my own truth.

Prayer: Lord, the evil one has declared war on you, and his tactic has been to confuse in the hearts of men those things that best define you. You are love. You are truth. You are justice. You are mercy. At least three of these four now have completely corrupted definitions in the minds of billions of people. May we all return to your truth, and not cling to our own. Amen.