What Is Truth?Намуна

Starting With the Man in the Mirror

Yesterday we refuted the age-old lie that says truth is oppressive and restrictive. Today, we need to address another misconception about truth. This one is unspoken but sadly exploited very often. See, truth was never meant to be a weapon, it was meant to be a foundation. But even in Jesus’ day, the religious leaders used the Law, the truth of God’s special covenant with His people, as a tool to gain power over others. And Jesus was NOT okay with this.

In Matthew 23, Jesus has had enough and He calls the Pharisees out with an intensity that should be frightening. He pulls no punches in exposing their corruption and hypocrisy. Here’s a preview:

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.” Matthew 23:13 NIV

Further on, Jesus calls them snakes, says they are full of rotting corpses, and infers that they are children of hell. He’s not messing around. Clearly, Jesus takes the self-serving, harmful use of truth VERY seriously. 

Let’s be careful that we never make this same error. Think it would be impossible for you to get to the same place as the religious leaders? Well, it’s easier than any of us would like to admit to point out the errors of others before recognizing our own. It’s easy to criticize, to seek our own gain, and to see ourselves as better than others. After all, you haven’t done what she did. You’d never go as far as he went. But that mentality, right there, is the on-ramp to becoming a Pharisee. 

That’s why Jesus wisely warns us to first examine ourselves and deal with the “plank in our own eye” before trying to remove a speck from someone else's. It’s a funny visual, but it effectively illustrates our tendency to downplay our own issues and faults and purposefully seek out and exaggerate the faults of others. 

This is why James, Jesus’ brother, compares God’s truth, His perfect law, to a mirror. And here’s the thing: You don’t use a mirror to look at others. You use a mirror to look at yourself.  

Challenge: Are you quick to shove the mirror of truth into the faces of others but often forget to look at the state of your own heart? Answer that question in the form of a prayer asking for forgiveness where needed and for God to continually search you and help you respond humbly to whatever He shows you.