INTEGRITY
By Raphael benLevi
Yeshua sent shock waves throughout Jewish orthodoxy by exposing frequent expressions of hypocrisy that was carefully concealed within an outward show of piety. His words were offensive, particularly when addressed to the very people who were quick to point fingers at others. Then again, how many of us have been offended when a strong word of truth was directed towards us that revealed flaws? This is amusingly portrayed in the following story.
In a trial, a Southern small-town prosecuting attorney called his first witness, a grandmotherly, elderly woman to the stand. He approached her and asked, “Mrs Jones, do you know me?” She responded, “Why, yes, I do know you, Mr Williams. I’ve known you since you were a boy, and frankly, you’ve been a big disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat on your wife, and you manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you’re a big shot when you haven’t the brains to realise you’ll never amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you.” The lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, “Mrs Jones, do you know the defence attorney?” She again replied, “Yes, I do. I’ve known Mr Bradley since he was a youngster, too. He’s lazy, bigoted, and he has a drinking problem. He can’t build a normal relationship with anyone, and his law practice is one of the worst in the entire state. Not to mention he cheated on his wife with three different women. One of them was your wife. Yes, I know him.” The defence attorney nearly died. The judge asked both counsellors to approach the bench and in a very quiet voice said, “If either of you fools asks her if she knows me, I’ll send you both to the electric chair.”
God is a revealer of truth and searches the depths of our hearts, not to condemn but to expose anything that keeps us drawing close to Him. This is the measure of His love, not His rejection. The question is, how do we respond?
Raphael ben Levi
