Truth Or Consequences

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce the news to his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them. They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had happened.

The chief priests assembled with the elders and took counsel; then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.’ And if this gets to the ears of the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has circulated among the Jews to the present day. (Matthew 28:8-15)

Liars!  How we all dislike liars whether those in politics or in our everyday lives.  How we regret when we lie whether of the white or the dark kind.  Lies prey on our consciences.

Lying makes us untrustworthy, and without trust, all falls apart especially relationships that depend on truthfulness.  Who to believe?  What to believe?  Confusion and chaos result from lying especially when our leaders lie to create alternative “facts” and self-serving arguments and positions.

Our Gospel reading tells of the chief priests and elders colluding to lie and deceive the governor by bribing the solders who guarded Jesus’ tomb.  They were to say: “His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.”  These men of great responsibility hid the truth. 

Too many of our nation’s men and women with great responsibility don’t tell the truth and prefer that which confirms their own bias.  We’re all guilty of the same.   But in the case of political leaders, lying jeopardizes our nation’s well-being.   An example might be our current plight caused by the coronavirus and lies about its threat to public health.

Perhaps the best characterization of the effect of lies is provided by Jesus as given to us by John (8:42-47): 

Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and am here; I did not come on my own, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I am saying? Because you cannot bear to hear my word.

You belong to your father the devil and you willingly carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks in character, because he is a liar and the father of lies. 

But because I speak the truth, you do not believe me.  Can any of you charge me with sin? If I am telling the truth, why do you not believe me?  Whoever belongs to God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not listen, because you do not belong to God.”

In short, when we lie, we do not belong to God, but to the father of lies – the devil.   With this understood we must be truth-tellers regardless of the consequences.

Deacon David Pierce