The Truth about Jesus and Mary Magdalene and Tender Lies

Christians are to follow Christ’s example (1 Peter 2:21).

“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”

This statement traditionally thought to have been written by Peter probably causes more people to stumble and argue than any statement in the whole Gospel. If any believer attempts to say. “Hey wait a minute. Christ did not observe the Sabbath Law. Or what about that adulterous affair.” Others may jump in and say. “No, it was the disciples who broke the Sabbath. The Woman was a slut. She was sleeping with all the village men.”

Paul says that believers who try to justify their righteousness through obedience to the Law are doing the impossible. The Law merely reveals sin.  Faith in Jesus Christ is what makes the believer righteous (Romans 3:20-22).

So, what are Peter and Paul saying? Are Christians supposed to sit idly by and let people abuse them and treat them unjustly?

Have you ever suffered the abuse of someone who calls you a liar, when you are doing your best to tell the truth? What do you do? Do you argue back? Does this make them back off? No!

So, what can you do, when you know that your truth is just as valid as the one calling you a liar?  You know you are not a liar. Your perception of things is not tied to just what comes out of a person’s mouth. It comes from the action, the emotion of the situation and the subtle little euphemisms that allude to truth in a polite, non-offensive way.

Jesus called Peter Satan. Satan is thought to be the biggest liar of all. Why would Jesus call Peter the very Rock of Christianity the worst liar of all? Can anyone honestly say, no deceit has ever come out of Christ’s mouth? Can anyone honestly say, no deceit has ever come out of their mouth?

Jesus was a great story teller. Story tellers give fictitious names to their characters to conceal their true identities.  Jesus used hyperbole. Hyperbole is exaggerating or stretching the truth to make a point.

Denying the Truth outright is a lie.  So is evading the truth by saying nothing. A clever way to lie so that no deceit comes out of one’s mouth is to evade the question all together and change the subject or ask a question.

Sometimes when one is hurt and feeling bitterly treated, one may feel justified to punish the abuser with silence and withdraw –wash one’s hands of the relationship. So, it sure sounds like the Rock is a liar. After all—didn’t the Rock deny even knowing some “fellow” called Jesus of Nazareth? (Matthew 26:71-73).

Peter is spot on and so is Paul.  The righteousness of God is revealed through faith in Jesus Christ. Believers need to know who Jesus Christ is so they can see how the Lord Jesus Christ reveals the Truth and how the Lord Jesus Christ lifts up a mirror to save people from war like behaviour—and the tyranny of injustice and legalistic or myopic thinking.

Jesus is the Rock who says no deceit comes out of Christ’s mouth. Jesus is the Christ and Christ is Jesus. The two are one and Christ is the Rock (1 Corinthians 10:4). When Jesus uses hyperbole, or tells a parable or creates a metaphor to illustrate a point, Jesus is being deceitful, strictly speaking, and makes the Rock out to be a liar.

Believers need to open their eyes and trust what they see. Jesus is three persons who are tied to one another for all eternity. Their faith in one another is the Truth that Christians need to focus on. Jesus, the Christ and the Lord are One. Each is Jesus and each is the Christ and each is the Lord. Their faith in each other and in their triune relationship qualifies them to be the Messiah, the Christ, the Saviour and Redeemer.

What about the text 1 Peter 2:22 that says there is no sin in Christ and no deceit ever came out of “his” mouth? The truth is the truth is a tender lie. It changes and shifts in the same way a golfer shifts the angle of a golf club to sink a putt.

People who love one another angle the truth to sink the truth into their loved one’s hearts. More importantly, when people love one another as the Mother of God loves the Father and the Son, there is no sin. There is nothing that can separate them. No power in all of Creation can destroy the Love they share with each other and all Creation. Their love is divine. It forgives and trusts the other and finds ways to show and tell this Divine Love so that no one seeking the truth will ever doubt it!

Is their relationship one of injustice? The Father judges correctly (Luke 7: 43) and listens to the Son. He realizes his mistakes and sins of omission. As such, when the time is right, he heeds what the Son says. He, as does the Woman who loves much, loves much because he too is forgiven much (Luke 7:46).

Love is patient and kind and forgives much even when the other is slow to listen, slow to see or acknowledge the other’s side or slow to be fair (1 Corinthians 13:4).

Love is a tender lie and may seem like an illusion to a humble man who finds it incredible when his Jo says. “You’re my Rock! We’ve been together since the beginning of time and nothing can separate us.”