I have always felt very strongly about truth. I can remember with clarity the playground outrage when a fifth grade classmate told a lie about what was going on at the swings. I recall my desperation that the teacher believe my version of the events. And I remember the painful sting when, as an adult, someone perpetuated a story about me that wasn’t truthful. Their half-baked version of the circumstances felt like a slap in the face, in a situation where I desired very much to be understood.
It’s why many things about living in a “post-truth” era drive me bananas. Certainly truth matters. The stories of Jesus and the supernatural realities of Christianity matter not because each of us have our own personal truth…but because of the veracity of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And Holy Week brings us face to face with the One whose authority over all truth was questioned.
If Monday was about the cleansing of the temple and a perfect display of righteous anger, Tuesday was a clear display of Jesus’ authority. The religious leaders intended to trap Jesus with sticky questions and He simply wouldn’t be sucked in. His answers were whip-smart and His replies stumped the scribes and pharisees.
Jesus, as a rabbi, had spent time teaching and preaching… and as the miracle-working Son of God, he spent time healing many after He entered Jerusalem. The formerly-blind and formerly-lame were literally walking around declaring His power… and the religious leaders slung accusations and loaded questions at Jesus in an attempt to discredit Him. They wanted Jesus to submit to their authority and He exposed their lack of integrity at every conversational turn.
It would be farcical to suggest that the religious leaders were after real truth. What they were after was control — the ultimate “gotcha!” moment with the Man who was making incredible claims about God and humanity. They thought they loved truth, but what they loved was authority, and Jesus was exposing what they were grasping at.
My prayer for us this week is that we will be people who, rather than grasp for control and demand our right to make up a version of truth, we will face the authority of the Person of Truth with honesty and hopefulness. Because Jesus doesn’t just tell us the truth about Himself. When we draw near, He shows us the truth about our own hearts and draws near to us anyway, in His love. Because oh! how He loves us!
TO READ:
Old Testament prophecy: Isaiah 6:10, Isaiah 53:1-3
Religious Leaders Question Jesus: Mark 11:27-33 (and the whole of Mark 12!)
Jesus Declares His Authority: John 12:37-50
From the psalms: Psalm 119:97-105
TO MEDITATE:
“Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him…”
Open my eyes and heart to see and believe YOUR truth, good King Jesus.
We’ll see you tomorrow, friends. 🫶🏽
PS: If you’re not sure about your Easter Sunday plans… may we recommend joining the Grace family? You can get more info about our celebration at the link here:
Thank you for blessing us with these Truths! ❤️