July-September
The Bible story starts off by exposing a rather embarrassing fact about humanity; our pursuit to cover up and mischaracterize. This self-destructive endeavor is not limited to mischaracterization of others—but also of yourself. In the Eden story, we see Satan taking the form of the most cunning animal in the garden and introducing Eve to his mischaracterization of God. This mischaracterization of their Creator and Originator—will later manifest in their lives as self-told lies. Take a look.
“For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5). [Emphasis added.]
Consider this. Satan was offering a reason—unexpressed by God—as to why He had forbidden Adam and Eve to consume the fruit of this tree—thus mischaracterizing God’s intentions behind the command, “Ye shall not eat it of it.” This in turn convinces Eve that God is really trying to keep her from being wise, so she immediately gets this urge to seize on this presumably forbidden wisdom.
“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat” (Genesis 3:6). [Emphasis added.]
She then proceeds to offer this fruit to Adam and they now find themselves naked. While they’re not dead yet, something is not right. After all, what is death? They have never experienced anything like this. However, something is clear; they are naked. And this does not feel right. Even as they look at each other, it is embarrassing. While both have shared the same forbidden dining experience, this naked reality is not comfortable. So, they go on to do what you and I have done many times. Perhaps something you are planning on doing or recently did. Wisdom is no longer your pursuit, but rather a cover-up and mischaracterization of yourself and others.
Throughout their time in Eden, God and the angels would come down and spend time with them. It was part of their routine. So, when God comes down to spend time with them—as He always did—Adam and Eve run for cover. They have attempted to cover themselves with fig leaves but now this fig-leaf clothing is not enough. Somehow hiding becomes the most logical thing to do.
“Where art thou?” (Genesis 3:9).
Pause for a second and think. Isn’t this the question God is asking you? Isn’t this the question asked throughout the Bible story? Where are you? (Genesis 3:9). What have you done? (Genesis 4:10). How did you get here? (1 Kings 19:9). What are you doing here? Where are you? You are supposed to be here with Me, but you’re no longer here. What happened to our relationship? It was going very well! Was it something I did?
As it turned out, it was indeed thought of as something God did. But in reality, it was something Adam and Eve assumed that God did.
“And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat” (Genesis 3:12, 13).
Somehow Satan had mischaracterized God’s character and identity. Now, not only are Adam and Eve mischaracterizing each other but they are also mischaracterizing God in an attempt to cover up and frame what has just happened. From now on, every Bible diegesis will have at its core the pursuit of truth or deceit: Is God really who He says He is?
Fastforward to Moses’ time. God’s people are having a really hard time understanding God and His real intentions. Moses has been asked to lead them out of Egypt. But in his attempt to do so, Pharaoh’s attitude worsens and he’s not willing to budge. The more Moses asks him, the more he gets stubborn. This leads the Israelites to misinterpret God’s intentions and start viewing Him as the aggressor rather than their Saviour. All of a sudden, they find themselves out of Egypt, and God is trying to reveal His true self to them by calling them to Mount Sinai. Here He is going to tell them 10 principles—the Ten Commandments about Himself and the way He is. These are then expressed in how they were to relate themselves to Him and to those around them, one of them being the following:
“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour” (Exodus 20:16).
In other words, “you should not mischaracterize your neighbor by making false statements.” Here’s the truth. I have done that. I have lied and mischaracterized events and people. Allow me to describe the mixed emotions when admitting to this. It feels like I’m putting myself out there, and definitely begging to be questioned about my integrity. It is easy to mischaracterize our dishonesty with the “it’s my perspective” disguise. But deep down you know that is not really what exactly happened or what was said. But on the flip side, it is also a feeling of relief and freedom. . . .
Which leads me to my next point. When we talk about the 9th commandment—the “do-not-lie” commandment—God is offering us a principle of liberty. You don’t have to pretend with God; He knows. He knows exactly where you are. He knows why you’re there. He knows what you’re doing. He knows how you got there. He knows what you have done. He knows. And through His introspective questions, He invites you to come out and allow Him to heal you. Coming out and taking ownership for your reality is daunting. And it almost feels like washing a wound that has been healed but not been cleaned out. You need to scrape it and clean it out. It hurts but it is necessary.
One of my favorite Bible accounts is Jesus’ interaction with Peter. Often characterized as the loud and outspoken one, Peter seemed to be the one to be always boldly voicing his opinions. We all know a Peter-type of guy. The obnoxious one that needs to let everyone know he/she is there. And of course, this Peter personality is never you and I! But let’s face it—to a certain extent—we all share some of Peter’s personality.
There is this one instance in which Peter is attempting to make a public statement about his loyalty to Jesus. He wants to let everyone know that he will always be there for Him. Regardless of what everyone else does, Jesus can trust him. Remember, there was a feud going on between them as to who would occupy the most influential position in Jesus’ new government. The closest one would be the one counseling Jesus on what to do, similar to the secretary of state or vice president. Also, it is worth noting that to be fair, all of the disciples had been trying to tell Jesus what to do. However, in this instance Peter is putting it out there. Peter’s loyalty claim is then met by Jesus’ heart-crushing and bubble-bursting response.
“Jesus answered him, “Wilt thou lay down thy life for My sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied Me thrice” (John 13:38).
The day would not end before Peter would flat out lie about his relationship to Jesus. As Peter is met with these heart-piercing words, Jesus goes on to reassure him something about Himself:
“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:1–3).
As Peter’s enthusiasm was crushed by this reality, Jesus goes on to say, “Don’t let your heart be troubled.” Do you really believe in God? Then you most definitely believe in Me. There’s enough space for you at my Father’s house. If that weren’t the case, I would have let you know. That is why I am going to prepare a place for you, even though you will lie and deny me. I really want to be with you.
Peter’s false beliefs about himself would later on translate into him doing the unspeakable—deny and lie about Him whom He loved the most.
Later that night, in the midst of the confusion Peter found himself on the spot. He was recognized as one who had been with Jesus. The truth of the matter was that at this point in time, it was not popular to be allied with Him. After all, Jesus was being arraigned in court and would most definitely get a death sentence. So, in a spirit of survival, Peter assures those around him that he does not know Jesus and flat out lies about his relationship to Him.
“But [Peter’s] appearance was unnatural. He was acting a lie, and while seeking to talk unconcernedly he could not restrain expressions of indignation at the abuse heaped upon his Master.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 712. [Emphasis added.]
As he was adamantly mischaracterizing Jesus through curses and swearing, Jesus was passing by the hallway and this is when Peter and Jesus’ eyes meet. There was no anger or hostility, but rather kindness, sorrow, and pity for him. At this point Peter realized that Jesus was indeed the truth and the life. Jesus knew him better than he thought he knew himself. And somehow Jesus still wanted to live with him. . . .
“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:3).
Out of all of my 3 siblings, when I was 6 years old—I was perhaps one of those who would often get in trouble for reasons we will not discuss today. Lying came easy to me. The reason was this was always the easy way out. Of course, my parents would always see past my interesting interpretation of events. Still today I remember a long conversation my father had with me. It went something like this: “You can lie and mischaracterize any event to me, but the most dangerous lie is the one you tell yourself.”
Peter had convinced himself that he was unstoppable. He had repeated several times how he valued Jesus. But he was incapable of being honest with himself. He still loved himself above everyone and everything else. He had followed Jesus because deep down, he wanted to have an influential position, and, secondly, he loved Jesus. In that hierarchical order. But when the rubber met the road, his primary, real feelings were revealed.
Here is what you and I can learn from his experience.
Be real with yourself and with others. What we talked about today might spark someone to come out and open up to you about who they really are or a lie they have been living. If you are on the receiving end, remember this before considering punishing this behavior. Do you want to create a culture of honesty? Or do you want to reward dishonesty? God loves and rewards honesty and we must do the same. Granted, there are some instances that dishonesty has tangible and irreversible consequences. But remember mercy. Jesus’ love and acceptance of Peter was iconic. Even after Jesus told him right to his face that he would deny his Lord three times before the day was over, Jesus still accepted Peter. He accepted him to the point of letting him know that even though Peter would lie and deny him, He still wanted to Peter to live with Him—that where He was, Peter would be also.
I hate to break it to you, but your life is a mess. You have lied. People have lied to you. You are really not that strong, but the reality is that God does not reject you. Other people will. In fact, you will or already have rejected others as well. It is human to reject. It is human to cover and hide yourself. After all, Adam and Eve’s natural response after sin was to reject and hide. God won’t do that. Please extend this non-rejection attitude to others.
Peter got the point. In 1 Peter 1:17 he essentially says, if you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in reverent fear during the time of your stay on earth.
Peter understood that you and I are judged, evaluated, and perceived by what we do—our works and actions. We are judged and perceived by what is real. Your truth and reality is what you do, not what you hope is true or what your ideal is. Understand this and you’ll realize that the truth will indeed make you free—free to be what you do.