Monday, March 30, 2009

Getting a Handle On the Truth


“And they watched him [Jesus], and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words…And they could not take hold of his words… (Luke 20:20,26a)


         These people had a real problem getting a handle on the things Jesus said; and there was a very good reason for this: They were not sincere seekers. In fact, their real motivation was a desire to catch this Man they feared and resented in some treasonous remark, for which they could haul Him up before the authorities (v.20). They only “feigned themselves (pretended to be) just men.”


         Before you and I shake our heads piously at such pretense, I feel compelled to point out that the same attitude is alive and well today, even among Christians. The motivation may be different, but the seemingly innocent inability to grasp Spiritual truths is the same. One may not be seeking to malign what God said, merely marginalize it. I understand and readily acknowledge that some areas in the Christian life, where there are no clear, Biblical directives, are open to personal interpretation or illumination. But when Biblical commandments and principles that have seldom, if ever, been questioned by Believers down through the ages, remain outside the grasp of individuals who have professed salvation for years, one is tempted to wonder if their faulty powers of comprehension are brought on by the same reason thieves cannot find a policeman, if you get my drift.


         The rich, young ruler we read about in Luke 18:18-23 left Jesus without having received a satisfactory answer to his question, at least to his way of thinking. Yet the woman of Samaria, in John four, had all her questions answered by Jesus. The difference was not one of intelligence, but sincerity.


         If you or I seem to have a problem wrapping our minds around some basic, Biblical truth, we should probably examine the depth of our sincerity. Perhaps we have a suspicion that the answer will not be to our liking. In which case, we may not want to know at all.  


 


 


 



No comments:

Post a Comment