The aborted search for truth
This week is on Luke 20:1-8:
Luke is my favorite gospel. This story from it is fun and sad at the same time because it shows how people keep themselves from truth and relationship.
Jesus was doing miracles on the Pharisees' turf, so they felt threatened that he'd steal their power. They asked him "Who gave you the right and the power to do this?" Jesus tried to help them understand the Holy Spirit by suggesting that John the Baptist got his authority from the same place.
Here's where things turn tragic. Instead of seeking the truth and understanding God's power, and having a nice dialogue with Jesus, they worried about what each answer would sound like. They didn't even worry about what they wanted to believe. The only thing that mattered to them was how their words would sound.
But Jesus was also talking to them about vulnerability. He was saying "Hey, if you want me to be vulnerable, you should be vulnerable first." Being vulnerable is the foundation of good relationships because it's where truth lives. If you're willing to be vulnerable, you're willing to speak the truth even if people might not like you when they hear it. You're saying "You might not like me afterward, but I want you to know who I am. I want you to see the real me."
The Pharisees weren't willing to do that. It wasn't even like they had some giant secret to hide, like embezzling temple funds or running a gay prostitution ring on the side. They simply weren't willing to decide what they believed, or even to search out the truth, because they were afraid of what people would think of them just for saying it. They wanted to be safe and loved more than they wanted to be real. And they lost a chance at knowing Jesus as a result. Clamming up, hiding, or telling fibs is a great way to kill relationship.
Do you want Jesus to be real to you? Be real to him. Admit your sins, share your thoughts, your doubts, your disagreements. Don't just say "yes Lord yes Lord" and never tell him how you really feel. How are you supposed to be trusted with his truth if you can't even manage your own?
Same goes with people. Tell the difficult truths. If you're angry with someone, don't tell them you're not when they ask if you are. You may make them feel better in the moment but you won't be helping either of you in the long run. How are people supposed to change without knowing they've done wrong? How are they supposed to glorify God's work in you if they never knew anything was wrong in the first place?
If someone asks how you're doing and instead of answering them you start thinking "Well if I say I'm OK then they won't help me, but if I say I'm bad then they won't love me" you're acting like the Pharisees. Tell your friend how you're doing. If they didn't want to hear the truth you'll be helping them not to ask again and waste both your breath.
If someone asks you "Did you chop down my cherry tree?" And you start thinking "If I say yes, I'll get in trouble, but if I say no they'll find out and I'll still get in trouble," you're being like the Pharisees. Just tell the truth. If they ask you to pay for it, that's their right. If they forgive you, that's their glory. But how are they supposed to make the right choice if you won't let them see the truth? You have to be vulnerable.
The Pharisees missed such an opportunity because they were all bound up in fear. Start by being open with Jesus and then maybe it'll be easier with other people. God calls us together as Christians and as individuals to be in relationship with him. Do you want the short-term hollow glory of the Pharisees, or do you want Jesus' eternal truth?
One day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and proclaiming the good news, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?”
He replied, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me: John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin?”
They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”
So they answered, “We don’t know where it was from.”
Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”
Luke is my favorite gospel. This story from it is fun and sad at the same time because it shows how people keep themselves from truth and relationship.
Jesus was doing miracles on the Pharisees' turf, so they felt threatened that he'd steal their power. They asked him "Who gave you the right and the power to do this?" Jesus tried to help them understand the Holy Spirit by suggesting that John the Baptist got his authority from the same place.
Here's where things turn tragic. Instead of seeking the truth and understanding God's power, and having a nice dialogue with Jesus, they worried about what each answer would sound like. They didn't even worry about what they wanted to believe. The only thing that mattered to them was how their words would sound.
But Jesus was also talking to them about vulnerability. He was saying "Hey, if you want me to be vulnerable, you should be vulnerable first." Being vulnerable is the foundation of good relationships because it's where truth lives. If you're willing to be vulnerable, you're willing to speak the truth even if people might not like you when they hear it. You're saying "You might not like me afterward, but I want you to know who I am. I want you to see the real me."
The Pharisees weren't willing to do that. It wasn't even like they had some giant secret to hide, like embezzling temple funds or running a gay prostitution ring on the side. They simply weren't willing to decide what they believed, or even to search out the truth, because they were afraid of what people would think of them just for saying it. They wanted to be safe and loved more than they wanted to be real. And they lost a chance at knowing Jesus as a result. Clamming up, hiding, or telling fibs is a great way to kill relationship.
Do you want Jesus to be real to you? Be real to him. Admit your sins, share your thoughts, your doubts, your disagreements. Don't just say "yes Lord yes Lord" and never tell him how you really feel. How are you supposed to be trusted with his truth if you can't even manage your own?
Same goes with people. Tell the difficult truths. If you're angry with someone, don't tell them you're not when they ask if you are. You may make them feel better in the moment but you won't be helping either of you in the long run. How are people supposed to change without knowing they've done wrong? How are they supposed to glorify God's work in you if they never knew anything was wrong in the first place?
If someone asks how you're doing and instead of answering them you start thinking "Well if I say I'm OK then they won't help me, but if I say I'm bad then they won't love me" you're acting like the Pharisees. Tell your friend how you're doing. If they didn't want to hear the truth you'll be helping them not to ask again and waste both your breath.
If someone asks you "Did you chop down my cherry tree?" And you start thinking "If I say yes, I'll get in trouble, but if I say no they'll find out and I'll still get in trouble," you're being like the Pharisees. Just tell the truth. If they ask you to pay for it, that's their right. If they forgive you, that's their glory. But how are they supposed to make the right choice if you won't let them see the truth? You have to be vulnerable.
The Pharisees missed such an opportunity because they were all bound up in fear. Start by being open with Jesus and then maybe it'll be easier with other people. God calls us together as Christians and as individuals to be in relationship with him. Do you want the short-term hollow glory of the Pharisees, or do you want Jesus' eternal truth?
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