Ten Words #9: Living in the Truth

"Don't bear false witness." The original context of the 9th Word appears to deal with "courtroom" testimony. Jewish law took great lengths to protect individuals from false witness. A single person's word was never enough to condemn another person. At least two corroborating sources had to agree.

The idea of the Ninth Word goes deeper than not lying in court. While deception is the central prohibition, there is much more. God’s people are to exemplify a commitment to truth-telling.

Living a lie can wreak mass havoc. Enron hid the truth about their schemes and destroyed the fiscal well-being of countless groups & individuals. Some folks misled the world about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, and the world continues to pay a high price for actions even if taken in good faith but based upon those lies.

Family relationships and even churches often conceal hidden truths, giving power to the lies that control them. In Death of a Salesman, Biff says, "We never told the truth for ten minutes in this house." The failure to live in truth prevents the possibility of healing, resulting in a slow and painful march toward death.

Eve Ensler has been a vocal and sometimes shocking proponent of truth-telling. Her controversial play, The Vagina Monologues, has found surprising resonance with many audiences across the world. One of Ensler’s main causes is the fight against violence to women. In reference to her own painful experiences, she says, “When I was finally able as an adult to sit with my mother and name the specific sexual and physical violence my father had perpetrated on me as a child, it was an impossible moment. It was the naming, the saying of what had actually happened in her presence that lifted my 20-year depression. By remaining silent, I had muted my experience, denied it, pushed it down. This had flattened my entire life. I believe it was this moment of naming that allowed both my mother and I to eventually face our deepest demons and deceptions and become free.”

These words are astonishingly similar to those spoken 2,000 years ago by Jesus: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Truth-telling can be incredibly painful. Just ask David how easy it was to confront the truth when Nathan the prophet stood before him. Or think about the fact that Jesus died for speaking the truth. Without truth-telling, however, we do more that just cover up a few trivialities. We revert into barbarism and chaos. In the process of hiding behind lies, we destroy ourselves & the lives of many, many others.

The only path to true freedom is to stop bearing false witness against ourselves & others. Instead, we must start living in the truth. May God help us and have mercy on us all!