PrintToday's "Moment with Mark" (109)
14 March, 2013
Finally, some men stood up to testify against him with this lie: "We heard him say, 'I will destroy this Temple made with human hands, and in three days I will build another, made without human hands.' " But even then they didn't get their stories straight! (Mark 14:57-59)
It's tough enough to be finally brought down by outright lies. Maybe the worse deception is that made up of truths, half truths and deliberate misrepresentation. That is what happened here. Jesus' words were twisted so that He was criticised for what He did not say. Actually, He did say something like this but with a little adjustment of the facts here and a small addition there, He is misrepresented to the point where the lie takes hold and He is charged with blasphemy.
What Jesus actually said is recorded in John 2/18-22. Compare the accusation in Mark 14/57-59 with the words in John and you will see how subtle yet destructive half-truths can be. Maybe even more subtle than an outright lie.
There is nothing like an appeal to the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth to silence our critics.
When we live in an environment that is hostile to the gospel and towards those who live and proclaim that gospel, it is wise to be a person of few words. If we must speak let us do all we can to make sure we engage our minds before putting our mouth in gear!!
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