Afterward, He appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen Him after He was risen. Mark 16:14
I saw a piece of graffiti scrawled on the wall of an old warehouse where I worked as a teenager… the message read: Believe nothing you hear and only half of what you see! There are times when this is good advice. The truth is often a scarce commodity around us, and we do well to be sceptical about what people tell us. Gossip is particularly suspect because gossipers are notorious for telling stories without bothering to determine their accuracy. But there are some people we should be able to trust. And the disciples were guilty of not trusting some of the most trustworthy people they knew. We need to be careful that we don’t fall into that trap.
Who can we trust? Whose word should we be always ready to accept? The word that the disciples rejected was that of some of Jesus’ most devoted followers. It turns out they were telling the truth. We should find the same today. Those who are the closest to the Lord Jesus will share His contempt for lies and deceit. No guile was ever found in His mouth, nor will it be found in the mouths of His closest followers. Look around the circle of fellowship in your assembly, and you can quickly identify the most trustworthy of the Lord’s people. You know these people well. You know which ones are sincere and spiritual, and the ones who are slipshod in their respect for the things of the Lord. And if you can look on these folks and determine who you can trust, how much more does the Lord know, He Who knows the thoughts and intents of our hearts?
But what about ourselves? Is our word good, or do those around us keep a salt shaker handy when listening to us? Do our accounts of events or descriptions of situations cause people to nod in agreement or to shrug and roll their eyes in disbelief? It is a poor testimony to be a person who people can’t trust to tell the truth. It is also a poor testimony to disbelieve those whose word is faithful because they are faithful to their Lord.
Jesus said, I am the Truth. Are we proper reflections of His truthful character? -Jim MacIntosh