4 Minute Read

Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

1 Samuel 26-28
Luke 22:1-23

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

Luke 22:10 (CSB): “‘Listen,’ he said to them, ‘when you’ve entered the city, a man carrying a water jug will meet you. Follow him into the house he enters.'”

Reflecting on God’s Word

If we aren’t careful, we might think that concealing something from others is wrong. I know I have felt badly on occasion when I intentionally left out some information when communicating with someone I didn’t trust. Was that wrong? Should we always be honest and transparent with everyone all the time? Can we say that we are truly honest if we hide some information from others?

While those questions would demand a much larger conversation that would involve ethics and consider all of the different scenarios that would determine whether the action was right or wrong, we clearly see Jesus concealing information in the verse I have chosen for today. So, at least in one situation, it is perfectly fine.

When we get to Luke 22:7, it is a Thursday. The next day, Jesus will be hanging on a cross. But before He went to the cross, He needed to observe the Passover. Why? Because, among many other things, it is one of the many Old Testament pictures that pointed to Him. Just as God saved the Jewish slaves from their Egyptian captors as they sacrificed a lamb and painted its blood on their doorposts, so Jesus would be the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. The Old Testament Passover was a road sign that pointed to Jesus, so He would observe it before He was crucified.

But, when we listen to Jesus’ words in Luke 22:10, we realize that He didn’t give the address of the place where He and His disciples would observe the Passover later that day. Instead, He seemed a bit mysterious in how Peter and John, two of His disciples, would know the location. He seemed to be concealing something.

Luke 22:10 (CSB): “‘Listen,’ he said to them, ‘when you’ve entered the city, a man carrying a water jug will meet you. Follow him into the house he enters.'”

Why didn’t Jesus just tell them which house to go to? Why were they to look for an unknown man carrying a water jug? Why so mysterious?

Answer: Judas Iscariot!

In Luke 22:6, right before we read of how Jesus told his disciples to find the location, we are told that Judas had agreed to sell Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Luke 22:6 tells us that Judas “started looking for a good opportunity to betray him.”

Jesus didn’t give the exact location because He was concealing the information from Judas. If Judas knew where they would observe the Passover, Jesus may have been taken before He observed it. But He had a few things left to do (observe the Passover, institute the Lord’s Supper, demonstrate servitude, He wanted to pray in the Garden, etc.) before He went to the cross. So, He didn’t want Judas to have information that could torpedo His plans.

If we had no other instance in Scripture, this narrative demonstrates that to be an honest person, we don’t need to tell everyone everything we know. We can maintain our integrity by intentionally concealing information from someone who cannot be trusted with that information.

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to help you determine if your desire to conceal something from someone is right or sinful.
  • Ask God to help you desire honesty as a default, and only conceal things when it is right and appropriate.

Going Deeper

While concealing facts is sometimes right and appropriate, you can dig a bit deeper into the ultimate ideal of honesty by reading the following GotQuestions article:

“What does the Bible say about honesty?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com)