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The ability to discern truth from falsehood is a very important challenge. As a result, systems of certification were developed, and exams are used to help make this distinction, increasing credibility. Businesses also emphasize that if the claims on their labels are false, and the product doesn’t work as promised, customers can return it. Throughout Israel’s history, God was teaching His people how to discern between true and false: the difference between the true God and idols, and between true prophets and false prophets. After Jesus was baptized, the first thing that happened was that He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted. His ability to discern truth from falsehood demonstrated His certainty about His identity as being sent from God. From the beginning of His ministry, preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus constantly faced attacks, challenges, and accusations from these false religious leaders. With patience, He used both direct and indirect methods to warn these leaders, who deceived people and led them to death through falsehood. Their rejection sealed their fate of eternal condemnation.
In the last two days of Jesus' earthly ministry, thousands of people gathered in Jerusalem. At this critical moment, He focused His attention on the crowds and His disciples, equipping them with the ability to discern truth from falsehood. This was extremely important, because if one makes the wrong choice in the physical world, mistaking the false for the true, at most, they might lose wealth, status, or even their mortal body. But in the spiritual realm, mistaking falsehood for truth leads to eternal death, an irretrievable loss. Jesus knew that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). Therefore, out of His love, He used this final opportunity to help the people and His disciples avoid being deceived by these hypocritical, superficial religious leaders. These leaders imposed laws on the Jewish people that they themselves could not keep. Though they preached obedience to the laws Moses had given, their behavior was contemptible—they oppressed orphans and widows. Their greed revealed their wicked hearts, which could not be transformed by merely following the law (Jeremiah 17:9). They placed heavy burdens of law keeping on the people while elevating their own status by sitting in Moses' seat, misleading others into thinking they had authority.
At this critical moment, Jesus told the crowds that these leaders were false, untrustworthy, and should be avoided. So, what is true? What is genuine authority? It comes only from God’s Word, everything He spoke through the prophets and apostles. Jesus also said, "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life" (John 6:63). The law reveals sin (Romans 3:20) but cannot save. Only the blood of Christ shed on the cross can free believers from the curse (Romans 8:1). The Apostle Paul said, "All are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:24). He also said, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). Don’t be deceived by false religions. Do we see many lost because they have chosen to believe in lies? Do we have the compassionate heart of Christ? What are we praying for each day? Do we have the same sense of urgency that Jesus had?
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