Confronted By Truth
The woman said to Him, ‘Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come there to draw.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Go, call your husband, and come here.’ The woman answered and said, ‘I have no husband.’ Jesus said to her, ‘You have well said, I have no husband, for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.’ The woman said to Him, ‘Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.’ – John 4:15-19.
Jesus says in Matthew 7:1 that we should “judge not, that you be not judged.” We have taken that to mean that we must not be critical, or confrontational of those who are living in sin. However, Jesus gives us the example of the value of confronting someone with truth. If what you were involved in was sin, and you did not know it, would you want to know? Or would you want to continue on in blissful ignorance?
King David committed adultery and ordered the murder of Uriah to cover up his sin. Then, David married Uriah’s wife and blissfully went about his life for a year without any concern for the terrible thing that he had done. However, God sent the prophet Nathan to confront him with his sin.
The woman at the well, and King David received the truth in the way it should be received. The truth was life changing for them. However, for many people when they are confronted with the truth, it just makes them angry. They certainly would not think that you were a prophet, for openly confronting them with the truth. They will, however, tell you that you ought to get the speck out of your eye before you judge them.
Why was Jesus confronting the woman at the well with truth? Because He loved her, and knew that through her, many others would come to know the truth as well. Why did God send Nathan the prophet to confront King David with the truth? God confronted David with the truth, because God loved him, and had great plans for David’s life, and for the lives of his descendants.
Why would we want to risk telling someone the truth about sin in their lives? Because we know God loves them, and has great plans for them. Of course, confronting someone with the truth, is not to be done lightly. Confronting someone with the truth, is not to be done in a judgmental way. Confronting someone with the truth, should not be done hypocritically. But sometimes it simply must be done if we are to be obedient to our Lord.
(It is sometimes necessary if we love someone, and we love our God, to demonstrate it by speaking the truth in love.)