Honesty

Matthew 5:37
But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.


In this verse Jesus speaks of telling the truth, of being honest. Many erroneously view honesty as requiring that everything be told. Such a view is sheer folly. Some things are not to be told. We could betray someone's confidence in doing so or hurt someone beyond repair--needlessly.


This does not mean that we lie. As one old gentleman who served as a mentor to me when I was a young man in ministry said, 'When they ask me something I don't think needs to be told, I simply say, "I won't say one way or the other."'


Wisdom will dictate to us how to word things in such a way that the things that are not supposed to be told remain hidden without telling a lie. Truth is not meant to hurt unduly. There must be an overriding beneficial and redeeming purpose for telling the painful truth to someone. If no such benefit can be found, then it is best to keep one's mouth shut.


And most of the time, when we are put on the spot by inappropriate questions, we can either tell the person that such a question is uncalled for, or we can answer yes or no, with no added explanation. Often it is the explanation that gets people in trouble.


The intent of Jesus was to teach Christians that His way is that of truth. And if that is our intent, then our hearts can remain pure in this realm.


The following is not a gospel song, but it presents a lot of truth. Here is the song with the lyrics posted on the screen:


"Honesty" by Billy Joel