Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
"Do not spread false reports. Do not help a wicked man by being a malicious witness. Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd…" Exodus 23:1-2
Chapter 23 of Exodus continues with God’s guidance to the people of Israel. The first two verses reinforce the 9th commandment where God said, "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor." (Exodus 20:16) Taken together, it’s very obvious that the Lord despises false witnessing, lying, slander, gossip or any other action we take that might propagate wrong against another. This included not standing up for what is right in the midst of others that are doing wrong. Truly, God commanded us to dare to be different. To be the one voice that would cry out in the midst of injustice and remind others of the wrongs of their ways, not in our sight but in the sight of the Lord Himself.
Unfortunately, people too often fail in any or all of these areas. Ask yourself these questions:
- Have I ever spread a false report about anybody? This would include either starting or spreading a rumor about another, engaging in gossip about someone or lying about someone, especially falsely claiming they did or said something they didn’t.
- Have I ever lied to cover up a wrong that someone else committed? My mother used to always teach me that two wrongs don’t make a right. This wasn’t as much her teaching as it was the very teaching of God. By lying to cover up the wrong of another, we have become just as guilty as the one who committed the offense. There’s a name for it in the legal circles today. It’s called obstruction of justice.
- Have I ever gone along with the crowd, even though I knew they were doing or saying things that were not consistent with God’s commandments and expectations? Have I ever failed to speak up for what was right…for the truth in the midst of others who were doing wrong, choosing instead to stay silent? In the end, staying quiet is just as bad as doing the act yourself. It’s sinful and disobedient.
If we’re totally honest with ourselves, I think we can see where we have all failed in any one or more of these areas. Is it any wonder why God had to bring it up? He knew it was going to be a problem then and He knew it would be a problem today. Such is the depth of His wisdom.
Well, since we are in the midst of Lent, I wanted to show you an example of how destructive it can be when we decide to bear false witness, slander another and then go along with the crowd instead of doing what is right. Let’s rewind back to the days of Jesus.
The Pharisees, chief priests and elders were so threatened by Jesus and His ministry that they felt the only way to stop Him was to kill Him. So in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was arrested after being betrayed by Judas and was taken before the Sanhedrin. Of interest, Jesus was never told why He was being arrested or what He was being charged with.
Once taken before the Sanhedrin, scripture tells us this:
"…the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward and said, "This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’" Matthew 26:59-61
The Jewish religious leaders had so much hatred in their hearts for Jesus that they were willing to use anything they could use to kill Him, even false testimony. The very ones who were to be the righteous keepers of God’s commands were very willing to disobey those very commands to suit their purpose. There is a stern warning here for us. We should not repeat the actions of those who were responsible for sending Jesus to His death.
But this wasn’t all, for the Sanhedrin finally decided to accuse Jesus of blasphemy after He answered the question, "Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!" by answering, "It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven." (Matthew 26:63b-64). Jesus was, of course, telling the truth…a truth the Sanhedrin weren’t able to handle.
Well, the death penalty was unauthorized in the Jewish law so the Sanhedrin needed someone else to carry out Jesus’ execution. The Romans were perfect for the task if the chief priests and elders could just convince them to kill Jesus. The knew that the Roman way of execution was by crucifixion, a brutal death which involved being nailed to a cross and put up for public display as the one being crucified died a slow and agonizing death. The intent was two-fold: to intimidate the Israelites and deter others from committing punishable acts.
When Jesus went before the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, He was examined by Pilate who concluded that Jesus was innocent saying to "the chief priests, the rulers, and the people…’You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people. And indeed, having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him; no, neither did Herod, for I sent you back to him; and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by Him. I will therefore chastise Him and release Him’ (for it was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast)." Pilate wanted to set Jesus free but we read that "the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus." (Matthew 27:20). And so the crowd demanded, "…Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas’— who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder." (Luke 23:18) Not being able to believe that the crowd would want to kill an innocent man and allow a true criminal go free, Pilate asked, ""Why, what evil has He done?" And still the crowd "cried out all the more, saying, ‘Let Him be crucified!’" So Pilate washed his hands of the matter and turned Jesus over to be crucified.
Through the last days of Jesus, we see first-hand how destructive false accusations, slander and going along with the crowd in doing wrong can be. Friends we simply can’t repeat the mistakes of the past. God would want us to make a stand for what’s right, demanding that the right thing be done always and expecting us to do right as well in obedience to His Word, Way and Will.
I often wonder how Jesus must feel when we falsely accuse another…when we slander another person…when we decide to go with the crowd no matter how wrong their actions might be. Does Jesus, the One who endured all the pain, suffering and persecution to save you and I, have to remember His days of betrayal and suffering every time we decide to do something that put Him on the cross in the first place? This Lenten season, let’s examine ourselves and get rid of any actions or attitudes that would model the actions of those who put Jesus to death. Look to the cross and remember that He went through so much for us then. Look to the cross and remember how He got there.
In Christ,
Mark
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