Harmless Lies

By Dr. Don Touchton, President Good Word Ministries, Inc.
www.goodwordministries,com

1 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him. 2 Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.
3 His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.
4 For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.”
5 For even His brothers did not believe in Him.
6 Then Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.
7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.
8 You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come.”
9 When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.
10 But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. (John 7:1-10)

Much of what passes for Bible teaching today, is little more than human reasoning with the Bible as a backboard off which to bounce the reasonings. We have heard most of our lives that even white lies are a “sin” and therefore we ought to seek to be 100% truthful. Such teaching, if followed would cause much social harm, and if not obeyed but believed would cause unnecessary spiritual grief. We understand the need teachers have to seek for an honest and open society and that if they were to teach that “white lies” were ok, that (they think) people would misuse them and it would lead to bigger more destructive lies. But does the scripture, indeed, support the notion that even minor departures from the truth are “anathema?”

With Revelation 22:15 in mind, what can we conclude about the narrative we find in our verses for today? Did Jesus, the Son of God, lie to His brothers? Plainly, they challenged Him to go up to Jerusalem for the Feast and He told them He would not go up, since the Jews were looking to kill Him and His “time ha(d) not yet come.” But we read in verse ten that He did go up secretly later. Did the Son of God change His mind after speaking to His brothers? If so, this leads to greater theological questions. Does the Son of God need to alter His plans according to different events, and circumstances that He later learns about? We don’t think so. We would rather affirm that He misled His nagging, taunting brothers than to surrender to the idea that He did not know all the facts until later and these new facts caused Him to change His mind.

Let us admit three things. First, let us admit that Jesus obviously told His brothers His intent was to remain in Galilee rather than go to Jerusalem. I know of no other way to read, interpret, or understand this. The plain reading is clear, or seems to be to us, that Jesus led His brothers to think something that He clearly did not intend to do. It’s OK to believe that. When you are dealing with sinful man as holy God in human flesh, your intentions are good, and you know everything that will ever transpire even to the falling of sparrows to the ground (Matthew 10:29-30) you have the right to manipulate man’s thoughts to create the correct circumstances for your plans to be fulfilled without having to resort to controlling their behavior robotically for it to happen. This is not the only time in scripture God does this or tells His servant to do such things. Let’s admit it.

Second, let us admit that such “lies” are not really sinful lies because they do not hurt anyone or cause anyone pain, but are simply a more thoughtful way to keep the peace and accomplish your goals. No one was injured or defrauded by this event- it simply provided a way for Jesus to go to Jerusalem unannounced and unexpected, which was His purpose from the beginning. His hour (for arrest and crucifixion) had not yet come, and He did not want to perform a miracle to avoid capture at this time. He could have – but He didn’t want to, for His own reasons. Let’s let it be.

Third let us admit that “white” lies, to preserve peace, protect feelings, and avoid unnecessary complications with our more important work are not a “sin” and do not make one a “liar” as in Revelation 22:15 mentioned above. When your wife asks you do you like her new dress, and does it make her look good, even though it is not true, it is OK for you to “lie” about it and say it does. You are doing it for a good reason, and not an evil one. You are doing it to produce a good result in your relationship and not a bad, or strained one. You are doing it because you care about her, and not because you despise her. It’s OK. Get it?