Matthew 21:24 Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

It’s very clear there was no outsmarting Jesus! This is one of several interactions he had with those who were against Him, and in every one His responses are very satisfying to those who believe in Him. This incident points out something explicitly that we do well to remember: we are always to speak the truth in love, (Ephesians 4:15) but we aren’t always to say everything we know, no matter how true it might be. There are some who would say that is “lying by omission,” as is often done by the “news” media. The consequences of that are evident in France right now with all the riots going on, because the news media didn’t report that the “teenage delivery driver” who was shot and killed by the police was also a gang member who had had multiple run-ins with the police, and at the point he was shot was trying to get away from a traffic stop and was putting a policeman’s life in danger in the process. A very similar thing happened in the case of George Floyd’s death in the US a couple of years ago. Jesus wasn’t doing that, and neither should we. However, there are true things that don’t need to be said in a given situation. We need to seek and follow the guidance of Holy Spirit at all times, letting Him put a brake on our tongues as need be, so that our words won’t injure needlessly, but rather heal.

This stands out to me because it is a problem I have had all my life. I often say more than I should, and I have damaged relationships in the process. As anyone who knows me will tell you, it can be hard to get me to shut up, and it would appear even Holy Spirit has that problem with me at times! I love to know stuff, and my telling all I know is a kind of bragging. As the Lord said very clearly through Jeremiah, “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24) I am all too prone to boast of the wrong things, in various ways. Whether something is factual is far from the only consideration in whether to speak it. I am never to be afraid to speak when the Lord says to do so, but I am not to spout off on my own, and that is something I am all too prone to do.

Father, thank You for this clear reminder. I do ask for a “brake job” on my tongue, that I may speak only Your words in Your love in Your timing, for the blessing of my hearers and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!