The
judge asks a defendant,
“Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the
truth?”
“I do, so help me God” replies the defendant
with one hand on the Bible and the other held behind his back - fingers
crossed.
“How
do you plead?” asks the judge
fully aware that the prisoner has been coached by lawyers
to tell the routine lie.
“Not guilty your honour” he responds
knowing that there is no honor in his words, and no respect for truth.
It’s just the way things are – the way the justice game is played on
technicalities and strategies,
evidence and alibis, and nuances of meaning.
Witnesses are called and cross-examined.
The prosecution seeks to bring out guilt,
and defense twists the words of witnesses and re-interprets all the evidence.
Judge and jury are expected to understand what’s true or not.
The courtroom is a conflicted muddled scene
the air heavy with unspoken anger, fear, hope, and cynicism.
In summation both prosecution and defense,
golden tongued lawyers (or liars some would say),
compel judge and jurors toward different versions of the truth.
Who’s to bless and who’s to blame? – it’s far too difficult to see the
truth for words.
It’s been that way since time began,
since the serpent in a garden convinced Eve that God was actually wrong
and didn’t really mean what he had said.
And since Adam covered up the naked truth and offered God an alibi.
Years later in an ancient courtroom
a judge asked Jesus to give account –
“are you the king of the Jews?”
“What is it you have done?”
Jesus replied “My kingdom is not of this world.”
“So are you a king or not?” demanded Pilate.
“You tell me - because I am King,
I was born and entered the world to witness to the truth,
and everyone who cares for truth,
who has any feeling for the truth recognizes me.”
“So what is truth?” – sneered Pilate rhetorically.
He had been around long enough to not expect the truth from prisoners
- or from their accusers for that matter..
We have also become cynical and jaded
for we know far better than to take advertising or communication at face
value.
We evade the truth, and the truth eludes us.
Sometimes the truth is difficult to speak at other times it’s difficult to
swallow.
Truth isn’t always beautiful or soothing,
and sometimes isn’t even all that interesting.
But truth can hurt, so it isn’t what we like to say or hear
especially when it’s personal or close to home.
So we hide the truth in words and camouflage it in hidden meanings,
distracting and misleading insinuations,
by saying too much or much too little
– embellishing a little here and editing a little there.
Before we even know it,
we believe a lie and call it truth.
“He isn’t who he seems to be” we casually insinuate,
“it’s not that I think he’s an alcoholic or anything - I’m just
saying – he likes his beer.”
An impression is created, and something is communicated that isn’t just or
kind.
We ‘mis-speak’ all the time –
saying “maybe” when really we mean “no,”
or saying “yes” just to hedge our bets unless a better offer comes our
way;
and saying we need “some time to think about it”
so as to avoid disappointing another person on the spot.
Everything that you and I say conveys something about the truth.
The words we speak communicate a message that may be true or may be not.
We hunger for peace and justice in our lives -
while in our relationship and communication with those around us
we are manipulative,
hiding our real motives,
deflecting responsibility,
creating discord and distrust
communicating in ways that the truth becomes lost for words.
THE
CORACLE is published weekly as a reflection on faith and life.
It is available free by subscription. The name CORACLE - refers to a
small leather boat that was typically used by Celtic monks during the 8th and
9th Centuries. One of the most famous was St. Brendan the Navigator who
undertook a missionary voyage of faith. Without navigational maps and
instruments he trusted that by waves and wind and current, God would bring him
to the place and places where he was meant to be. Yet far from being
fatalistic, his voyage was the deeply spiritual account of a man’s journey in
surrendering to the will of God and trusting God to guide and protect him from
danger and disaster. Brendan’s voyage became famous as an ideal for the
Celtic monks of Ireland who dared to venture into unknown and wild places in
order to spread the gospel. Setting sail in their fragile coracles was at
once a courageous act of faith and a profound expression of their passion to
follow Jesus Christ no matter where the journey would take them or what the
journey would entail.