Trust Jesus to Tell You the Truth About Yourself
By Michael Kelley
It feels like truth is hard to come by right now.
Because information is prevalent, because sources are so pervasive, because opinions are so pronounced, who’s to say what’s really true and what’s not? There’s this version by so-and-so and that version by what’s-his-name and in the end we are all just clamoring for someone to tell us what’s really, actually, genuinely, truly true.
We can’t trust the culture to tell us the truth because that version of the truth is colored with the latest trends.
We can’t trust others to tell us the truth because they are too worried they’ll hurt our feelings, or that we won’t like them any more.
We can’t even trust ourselves to tell us the truth because we know the minute we start telling ourselves the truth it will begin to cost us something.
But we can trust Jesus. Jesus will tell us the truth. He’ll tell us the truth even when we don’t want to hear it.
Take Peter, for example. Peter, the one who jumped out of the boat when Jesus beckoned. Peter, the one who had his hand in the air when Jesus asked for a confession of who He was. Peter, the one who tried to correct Jesus when Jesus began to talk about His impending death.
Peter, it seems, was never short on confidence. And yet Peter did not have an accurate estimation of himself.
Mark 14 finds the disciples were sitting together during the Passover meal, and Jesus took the opportunity to reframe their understanding. He took the bread and said, “This is my body.” He took the wine and said, “This is my blood.” And then Jesus did something even more strange, especially for Peter:
Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will fall away, because it is written:
I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep will be scattered.
But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”
Peter told him, “Even if everyone falls away, I will not.”
“Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to him, “today, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.”
But he kept insisting, “If I have to die with you, I will never deny you.” And they all said the same thing (Mark 14:27-31).
Jesus words contradicted Peter’s own version of himself. He was a leader. He had the answers. He was willing to take up arms and defend Jesus if necessary. He most certainly was NOT a coward.
And like Peter, we still come to the word of God and hear uncomfortable truths about ourselves. That we are sinners. That we are constantly in need. That we have no claim on God. And like Peter, we are sometimes quick to either minimize or completely dismiss these claims.
But let’s be very careful. Let’s be careful in a culture that is confused about truth not to make the mistake of thinking Jesus is just offering another set of opinions. He tells us the truth. Always. Indeed, He loves us too much not to.
Michael Kelley is a husband, father of three, author, and speaker from Nashville, TN. His latest book is a year-long family devotional guide called The Whole Story for the Whole Family. Find his personal blog at michaelkelley.co.
