OCT. 30, 2005 PASTOR SCOTT FULLER
JER 31:31-34, 15-18; PS 1; I THESS 2:1-8; MT 22:34-46
Prepare our hearts, Lord, to receive your Word. Silence in us any voice but your own that in hearing we believe and in believing we obey your will revealed to us in Jesus Christ. Amen.
Dear friends in Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Truth…or Consequences! challenged the old t.v. game show.
The truth will out warned William Shakespeare.
What is truth? pondered Pontius Pilate.
You will know the truth and the truth will make you free offered Jesus.
Of those four sayings, the only positive in the group is from Jesus. The others come off as a challenge, a warning, or a cynical supposition. And that pretty much sums up the way that truth has been treated throughout history.
From t.v. titles, to Shakespearean plays, to Pilate’s predicament, to Jesus’ gem, truth is a matter of great significance for us all, and especially for our students who are today celebrating the rite of Confirmation. They are getting ready to step out into a world that operates with a radically different notion of truth from the one that Jesus embraced as good news.
There’s a good reason for that. The world in which we live seems to care very little about the truth…unless it can be manipulated to: get something or convince someone or accomplish some goal. For many people who are trying to get ahead, the truth…is a problem. It often appears as if the truth will just get us into trouble, or make us look bad, or hurt our chances…so we tell a lie, or fail to tell the whole truth, or just keep silent and hope for the best…but what usually happens, then, is that we end up with the worst.
When I was in sixth grade, my teacher was named Mrs. Holstein... just like the cows, and I can assure you that there were some similarities. She was wide, strong, and discipline was usually not a problem. One day, though, she had to leave the classroom for a moment…that stretched into minutes…and that, of course, led to chaos. When Mrs. Holstein opened the door, everyone froze: mid-throw, mid-jump, mid-scream. She glared at us, shook her head, then disappeared again.
30 seconds later she reappeared…with the Principal right behind her. Mrs. Holstein then reached under her desk…grabbed her hole-drilled paddle, and said in a very clear voice, I want the truth about what just happened here. Nobody spoke…but she knew who was guilty.
So she told the principal her plan to deal with our actions and refusal to tell the truth. When he agreed, she marched the guilty into the hallway and had us all lean face to the wall, which gave her free access to our rear ends. Then she delivered a smack to each backside as down the line she whacked.
So, what do you suppose Jesus meant when he said You will know the truth and the truth will make you free? Free from punishment for our wrongdoings? Free from the consequences of our mistakes? Free from all the problems that arise when we tell our lies, or fail to fill in all the facts? As the saying by Walter Scott goes, O what tangled webs we weave when first we practice to deceive.
Now, I don’t want to glorify my parents’ childhood, but I do think that the truth was handled a little differently back then. Let’s ask some of you grandparents to help us out. Do you older folks see any differences between your experience and today as far as telling the truth?
So what’s the biggest problem that happens when we tell a lie? It locks us up in a prison. It takes energy to maintain a lie because we have to remember what we said. We worry about being discovered and agonize about being found out, to say nothing about falling into the trap of believing our own bull-oney… All of which can quickly destroy the lives, the relationships, the loves that are closest to our hearts.
Alcoholics and addicts will lie about being in control of their drug, gamblers their bets, and cheaters their affairs even as their lives fall apart around them. The same is true for all who spin a tangled web of deceit.
At HSBS (H.S. Bible Study) last Sunday evening we watched the video, In America. It’s about a family of Irish immigrants who come to the U.S. for a new start in life. The one they left behind includes the painful death of their young son. The father, Johnny, is not truthful about the hurt that he’s feeling. He’s an actor, but he can’t find work because his heart can’t help him. He’s shut it down; he’s lied to himself about the pain…and it shows.
A director who doesn’t even know him can see it – and tells him so. With a stern passion, he points to Johnny’s head and says, “I want less of what’s up here,” then he points to his heart, saying “and more of what’s down here!”
Whether it’s guilt or anger or unresolved grief, it doesn’t matter. Johnny can’t start living again until he stops lying about his pain. And when that eventually happens, it’s nothing short of a miracle. The Spirit works through the death of a friend, the birth of a baby, and the love of his family to help Johnny let go of his lie. And then, all that energy required to deny the truth suddenly melts in a trickle of tears.
You and I are strangely free to lie and deny and weave our tangled webs. But then we are also quickly trapped by our refusals to tell the truth. Yet the blessing is that we can also trust God’s Spirit to be present with us, we can take Jesus at his word You will know the truth and the truth will make you free. It is a promise that God will help us see the truth in the choices we face, and will even help us make them work. And if that’s not enough, Christ also promises to be there to help pick up the pieces whenever we fail.
You know that saying walk softly and carry a big stick…well I learned all about a big stick from Mrs. Holstein. But I also learned from her how to tell the truth, a gift that I will always treasure. Amen.