GOD IS THE SHIELD THAT PROTECTS US(Jeremiah 11:18-20/Psalm 7:2-3,9-11/John 7:40-53)

GOD IS THE SHIELD THAT PROTECTS US

(Saturday, April 6 2019)

One of life’s regrets is the inability to say the truth when it is needed. The truth will set you free, but first, it will make you miserable. Truth most often is vulnerable in the hands of many people. Suppressing the truth can set the whole nation ablaze and saying it, on the other hand, can as well liberate the whole nation and opens for them a brighter future. Because of its vulnerability, truth can be seriously wounded and suppressed but can never be destroyed. Many in the course of history have tried all they could to suppress the truth but at the end, truth emerged from nowhere. The incident of today in the gospel is a practical example of those who know the truth but closed themselves up, trying to suppress the truth because of their myopic opinion and unguarded reasoning.

The Jewish authorities and the Pharisees knew the truth but instead of letting the cat out of the bag, they decided to allow their superiority complex to suffocate the truth. Many of the Jews during the time of Christ knew Him to be the Great One in their midst whose activities and actions have never been seen anywhere in the whole world but they were being led astray by their so-called authorities and the elders. It is very clear that at any moment in time when people try to suppress or kill the truth, there would be certainly a confusion, disagreement and discord in their midst. Today these confusion and disagreements are apparent in the gospel! Why the confusion and disagreements even among the Jewish authorities themselves? The answer is simple, they think that they were too smart to suppress the truth and indeed the truth disturbed their peace of mind.

The disagreement and confusion set in at the beginning of this gospel. It goes this way "Several people who had been listening to Jesus said, ‘Surely he must be the prophet’, and some said, ‘He is the Christ’, but others said, ‘Would the Christ be from Galilee? Does not scripture say that the Christ must be descended from David and come from the town of Bethlehem?’ So the people could not agree about him. Some would have liked to arrest him, but no one actually laid hands on him" From this passage, it is very clear that in the midst of those who are trying to suppress the truth, there will be also minor voices crying out about the truth. Here in the reading many indeed testified about the personality of Christ based on what they have heard and saw.

They came to the conclusion that Jesus is the Christ. Like the confusion in the gospel of yesterday, people started again today by asking what is not necessary "what is the connection between where the Christ will come from and the work they saw him doing? At least His work would have convinced this group who doubted whether He is the Christ or not. The second incident that cleared the ground that truth can never be suppressed or hidden was the attitude of the police sent to arrest Christ. They couldn't perform that task because they themselves were overwhelmed with what they saw. Indeed, the police came, saw and testified that He is the Christ. Here is the evidence of the police "The police went back to the chief priests and Pharisees who said to them, ‘Why haven’t you brought him?’ The police replied, ‘There has never been anybody who has spoken like him.’ ‘So’ the Pharisees answered ‘you have been led astray as well? Have any of the authorities believed in him? Any of the Pharisees?

We can see here also that the evidence of these security men threw the whole assembly of the Pharisees and chief priests into confusion and disagreements! Alongside the heated arguments and disagreements among the authorities, Nicodemus one of them who knows the truth as well indicted the assembly of acting ignorantly against their law. The truth in what Nicodemus said further tore the house apart and fueled the confusion. He said, " But surely the Law does not allow us to pass judgement on a man without giving him a hearing and discovering what he is about?" Nicodemus an enlightened Jew wouldn't allow the superiority complex of this assembly to becloud his sense of reasoning " He saw the truth and without being biased said it instantly without minding whose ox is gored. Instead of addressing the question presented before them by Nicodemus, the whole assembly went into attacking mechanism just to suffocate the truth.

They said attacking Nicodemus "Are you a Galilean too? Go into the matter, and see for yourself: prophets do not come out of Galilee.’ Their argument here is also not necessary which points to what we reflected yesterday! Where He comes from shouldn't be an issue. The truth remains that He is the Christ period! We can see here what is like suppressing the truth. Instead of accepting the truth in order for the truth to liberate them, the chief priests, Pharisees and the elders of the Jews were busy running around the truth. This is exactly what is happening always among many of us. Instead of saying the truth in order to be free, many prefer holding it and be dying slowly. It is only the truth that can set us free.

Let us not be like the Pharisees that saw the truth but decided to suppress it. We shall advance well when we have learned to seek the truth, to reveal it and publish it. Truth is the breath of life to human society.

Let Us Pray: Lord Jesus, give me the grace to always tell the truth and may I be ready and will g to die for the truth at all times. Amen