There is nothing new under the sun, said Solomon, the wisest man to ever live. This past weekend I had the opportunity to visit the Bullock Texas State History Museum and spent most of the time there in the Acts of Faith exhibit. I learned several things there that reminded me of the reality of the motivations that shape history and the things that happen around us. It might be difficult to discern people’s motivations but we cannot deny their choices. I think this is where the issue of truth comes in if a choice is made in light of the truth versus while denying the truth. Most of the time, these motivations appear to be at the expense of truth. And those in power do not care about the collateral damage. If others will be hurt or even destroyed, so be it. What matters is that they retain power and control. Back then, they passed laws designed to restrict and dominate others. The Code of Indian Offences, and the Chinese Exclusion Act, were passed to expel Indians and exclude the Chinese. An executive order was issued to drive Mormons out. These groups were deemed a threat to the status quo. It is in the interest of those who have the reigns of power to retain it, and that by stepping over others and dominating them. Is it true that any of these groups were a threat? Regardless, those in power get to define who the out-groups are and then find ways to step on them. We have seen how the law works against out-groups in America versus how it works for the in-groups in contrast.
Going back further, after the Macabeean wars, the Jews had established their religion having figured out a way of life that would keep them within the bounds of not breaking God’s law. At this time they were disrupted when Jesus, God in the flesh, came healing the sick, the demon-possessed, making the blind see, and even raising the dead. The powers that be were concerned that the people would follow Jesus and that they would lose their place and nation (John 11:48). Because of this, though the religious leaders saw the signs, the very signs they believed and taught that only the messiah could perform, they denied the truth. The cost of acknowledging the truth was so high that they rejected Jesus as messiah. Keeping the status quo was more important. For this reason, they made a decision to kill Jesus and Lazarus whom He had resurrected from the dead. So they involved the Romans and got Jesus killed. We’re not told what happened to Lazarus. Unfortunately for them, they had only made things worse for themselves because three days later Jesus resurrected himself. This was worse for them, they had acknowledged that the whole world was going after Him (John 12:19). Now that He had resurrected Himself, what could stop Him? Maybe if they lied about what happened that would contain the situation. And so they bribed some soldiers to say that His disciples stole His body (Matthew 28:12). This did not work either, His disciples testified of Him, many of them at the cost of their lives and the truth went out to the whole world. Because of them, we have a record of the truth preserved in the gospels. He is risen! He now gets to resurrect all those who will believe in Him.
The story of the Pharisees and religious leaders who rejected Jesus is sad but I think we can learn from their mistake that what we as individuals decide is important to us can and will keep us from the truth. In reality, power, influence, and position are not as important as we may think they are. But the truth is. I believe this is what Jesus meant when he said “The one who loves his life will lose it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life”, John 12:25. One’s attachment to the things of this world – power, influence, position may make it very difficult, even impossible to acknowledge the truth. And what happens then? Those who reject Jesus, the truth, will die in their sins. Believing things that are not true is costly. It was the case then, it is the case now. The Pharisee’s plot to kill Jesus and Pharaoh’s plot to enslave Israel are both examples of political decisions made to retain status by the powers that be, both have nothing to do with the truth, it is mostly about power and control of others. So it is now. As for me, I want to let go of anything that is not true, regardless of the cost, because living in the truth is living in reality.