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Like many of you, the events at the nation’s capital last week have continued to run on auto-play in my head. I have tried to consider what happened and what led up to it from various viewpoints. I’ve wondered, “How could we get to this point?”  “How can our country be so divided?” I keep coming back to this: our actions and responses depend on what we believe, and what we believe depends on what voices we listen to. 

Current events in our country give a clear example of what can happen when two versions of reality collide. The purpose of this post is not to take sides, but to look beyond the politics of January, 2021, and consider the importance of truth. 

Isn’t what we believe and whom we listen to crucial in every culture and time period? Isn’t that the case in personal lives as well as national life? Isn’t it important to vet the sources we rely on for information, get second opinions, consider who has a track record of honesty and integrity, and keep in mind that all human beings are fallible? 

Have you ever learned something that changed your whole view of a situation? I think of Herod asking Jesus, “What is truth?” (John 18:38). Would the story read differently if he had truly been seeking truth, rather than asking sarcastically, as most commentators believe?

Jesus said:

… If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. (John 8:31-32)

I am the way, the truth, and the life … (John 14:6)

And so, I leave you with two final questions for consideration: 

Whom do you listen to?

What does it mean to look to Jesus as the source of truth?