22010.293 Choose to Follow the Truth

“Then the experts in the law and the chief priests wanted to arrest him that very hour, because they realized he had told this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people.” —Luke 20:19

The teachers of the law were looking for a way to get rid of Jesus! The truth of his words cut to their hearts and they needed to not only be rid of his message, but his entire being!

This sentiment is repeated several times by Luke:

“Jesus was teaching daily in the temple courts. The chief priests and the experts in the law and the prominent leaders among the people were seeking to assassinate him, but they could not find a way to do it, for all the people hung on his words.” —Luke 19:47–48

“Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was approaching. The chief priests and the experts in the law were trying to find some way to execute Jesus, for they were afraid of the people.” —Luke 22:1–2

Have you ever noticed that one simply cannot get rid of Jesus when confronted by the truth of Him? No matter how hard we try—pretending He doesn’t exist, or ignoring Him, or closing our ears and hearts, or seeking any other way to silence Him—it does not negate the fact that He is truth, and that He presents each one of us with a choice of whether or not to follow Him.

We see this “choice” throughout all of Scripture: People are clearly given the choice between following the world and following God. God does not want us to do a limping dance between the two options—a divided mind and heart will never stand.

For example, we find in 1 Kings the confrontation between the prophet Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel:

“Elijah approached all the people and said, ‘Kings, how long are you going to be paralyzed by indecision? If the LORD is the true God, then follow him, but if Baal is, follow him!’ But the people did not say a word.” —1 Kings 18:21

Joshua also presented the people of Israel with a clear choice:

“Now obey the LORD and worship him with integrity and loyalty. Put aside the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt and worship the LORD. If you have no desire to worship the LORD, choose today whom you will worship, whether it be the gods whom your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But I and my family will worship the LORD.” —Joshua 24:14–15

In the New Testament, we see Peter and John faced with this same choice … and then turning that choice back to their accusers:

“When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and discovered that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized these men had been with Jesus. And because they saw the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say against this. But when they had ordered them to go outside the council, they began to confer with one another, saying, ‘What should we do with these men? For it is plain to all who live in Jerusalem that a notable miraculous sign has come about through them, and we cannot deny it. But to keep this matter from spreading any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.’ And they called them in and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, ‘Whether it is right before God to obey you rather than God, you decide, for it is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard.’” —Acts 4:13–20

Jesus came as the light of the world and He has left us here to shine forth His light through our words and our deeds. We are to be Jesus! And just like Peter and John, we must be bold in professing to others what we have seen and what we have heard!

Become More

“You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden. People do not light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good deeds and give honor to your Father in heaven.” —Matthew 5:14–16

Further Reflection

“We are holding a light … Though it may seem but a twinkling candle in a world of blackness, it is our business to let it shine. We are blowing a trumpet … We must keep sounding the alarm to those who are in spiritual danger … We are kindling a fire. In this cold world full of hatred and selfishness our little blaze may seem to be unavailing, but we must keep our fire burning. A light, a trumpet, a fire … they seem so little … But ‘with God all things are possible’ (Matthew 19:26), and He will bless our efforts to bring the good news of Jesus to a weary and strife-torn world.” —Billy Graham

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