Pinocchio

 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For e all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! (James 3:1-5 ESV).

 

When God gave Moses ten commands for the people of Israel to have as a mandate for life, He included a simple statement about truthtelling: "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor." (cf. Exodus 20:16). This is not the only reference to telling the truth in Scripture. There are hundreds of references to our speech in the Bible. Our reading is simply one of many. Most people know and accept the importance of this principle. In fact, many writers and “fact-checkers” have developed a new scale to determine how bad a falsehood is by rating it using the hero of Carlo Collodi's children's story, The Adventures of Pinocchio (1883), a wooden puppet who comes to life as a boy and whose nose grows longer whenever he tells a lie: the more “Pinocchios” the greater and more persistent the lie.

 

Some people believe that lying is only a problem if you really hurt someone, or if you get caught. But God doesn't see it that way. God cares about the truth because our relationships depend on it. Like God, Christians believe that honesty is very important.

Of course, being honest is not the same as saying everything you think. If you don't like something, or you believe a comment someone made is pretty foolish, you don't necessarily have to say so. There are also times when telling the whole truth can cause too much hurt. These are those times when we should exercise more “grace-giving” that not.

 

Most of us have heard the example of people who hid Jews from harm in World War II and lied about it when German soldiers asked them. In that situation, the effect of deception was more in line with God's intention for relationships and caring for others. But rare exceptions shouldn't blind us to God's basic demand for honesty in relationships. If I am going to relate to you in a loving way, I need to be able to count on you for the truth. If I can't, I will feel manipulated, become suspicious, distrust your word, and eventually become alienated from you. Lying changes more than the facts; it also changes the liar. Look for honesty in every relationship and loyalty you extend!