“One of the experts in the law answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.”” Luke 11:45 NIV
Reflection: how can truth be insulting when it is only a truth?
Let’s say you have worked hard on losing some weight. You have been diligent in what you eat, avoiding sweets and have exercised. And a few weeks later, you run into a friend you haven’t seen for a while who tells you “You look great – you have lost a lot of weight!” The comment feels good, you know it is the truth and it didn’t come easy. And you gladly share with your friend about all your hard work on diet and exercise , the sacrifices you have made to achieve your goal.
But let’s turn that situation around. Let’s say the opposite has happened, you have ignored diet and exercise, and ended up gaining a lot of weight. And you run into the same friend. Now, what if your friend tells you “You don’t look so good – you have gained a lot of weight!” While a true statement, you probably would feel insulted by your friend, right? Perhaps even hurt, thinking “what do they know about what’s going on with me?” But instead of telling about your struggles, you might feel attacked and instead either shut down or even say something back to hurt them. Think about it –
We easily accept truth when it makes us look good, but avoid, even reject truth when it makes us look bad.
Why is that? The truth is still the truth, right? In Luke 11:37-54, we read a story of Jesus accepting a dinner invitation of a Pharisee. And at the dinner table, Jesus delivers multiple truths to them. Now, the whole exchange starts as follows “The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner.” Luke 11:38 ESV. Washing before a meal was for them both for health reasons, but also a ritual. And as we read on, we see that Jesus intentionally did this to challenge him with a truth. We read,
“And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.” Luke 11:39 ESV.
He was basically saying that they were hypocrites. Looking clean on the outside, but their inside was evil and wicked. A truth that was very hard for them to hear, no doubt. But a truth
that could have saved them.
But instead of acknowledging the truth, accepting it and repenting from their wickedness, they doubled down. Jesus gave them a couple more truths, but the response was as we read in our focus verse “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.”” Luke 11:45b NIV.
And here is the challenge with truth. To acknowledge and accept truth can be very difficult. In fact, it is exactly why so many reject Jesus. Just the mention of the name Jesus will make some people go ballistic. Get angry, and even scream at you. To accept Him means you have to honestly accept the truth, about yourself and about Him.
It is VERY hard to do that.
Some want to accept what Jesus did and can do for them, but are still rejecting that there is anything wrong with them. That is not a full embrace and acceptance of the truth. To accept Jesus is to also reject our own flesh, our old ways, which the Bible refers to this as repentance. “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Galatians 5:24 ESV. “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Romans 8:13 ESV.
Let’s not avoid truths that are uncomfortable to hear. Let’s accept the whole truth.