November 15, 2024 Devo

November 15th, 2024

“It’s All About Jesus!”
Questions Jesus Asked
Jesus replied, “If I said anything wrong, you must prove it. But if I’m speaking the truth, why are you beating me?” – John 18:23 (NLT)
“Can YOU Handle the Truth?”

There’s a great line made famous by the movie “A Few Good Men.” It’s when Jack Nicholson responds to the attorney played by Tom Cruise who is pressing him to tell the truth. Nicholson shouts, “You can’t handle the truth!” For many of us, he is exactly right.
When Jesus posed the question in our passage today, He was being interrogated by the high priest about what He had been teaching His disciples and other followers. Jesus responded by saying, “Why are you asking me this? I’ve spoken openly. Everyone here knows what I have been teaching.” That’s when the Temple guard slapped Jesus. Jesus then said, “If I said anything wrong, you must prove it. But if I’m speaking the truth, why are you beating me?”
They hit Jesus because they didn’t want the truth. They simply wanted to catch Him saying something for which they could put Him to death. They weren’t wanting to hear from God. They weren’t wanting to grow in their faith. They weren’t wanting to change their lives. They only wanted to dispose of anything that pushed back on their preconceived ideas. How sad. The answer to life stood right in front of them. But they couldn’t handle the truth.
Can YOU handle the truth? Think a bit before you answer that. When the Holy Spirit nudges you about a change you need to make in your life, do you embrace that nudge or shrug it off? When your spouse or close friend confronts you about something you said or did or something you DIDN’T say or do, do you listen and receive it with a desire to grow and change, or do you get defensive and push back, justify, or rationalize? Many of us just want affirmation, not confrontation. Like the religious leaders, we don’t want people to mess with our preconceived notions about ourselves.
Take this lesson to heart today. The truth can set you free. But first, it may need to disturb you a bit. The truth can hurt our pride. The truth can make us see things we really don’t want to see. The truth, if we’re open to it, can help us grow, mature, and become the best versions of ourselves. But only if we’re able to receive it. How about you? Can YOU handle the truth? That’s God’s Word for you today.