You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
What does this mean?
We should fear and love God that we do not tell lies
about our neighbor, betray him, or give him a bad name,
but defend him, speak well of him, and take his words
and actions in the kindest possible way.
In the Second Commandment, God protects his own name and reputation. Here in the Eighth, God protects our names, and the names and reputations of the people around us. Jesus kept this commandment perfectly, and did not hesitate to publicly praise Nathanael, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false” (John 1:47). Yet when the Pharisees attacked his own Divine name, Jesus did not hesitate to proclaim the truth about them, either, calling them hypocrites when that is what they were, and even “whitewashed tombs” (Matthew 23:17) to convict them of their sins. Jesus’ own sacrifice for our sins has freed us from the accusations and condemnations of this commandment.
But Jesus did not free us from the judgment of this Law so that we could lie, betray or worm our way in and out of half-truths as the slithering devil tempts us. The beguiling words dripping from his venomous fangs lead only to death; Jesus himself is the Truth and the Life. Jesus has set us free from the burden of our sins against this commandment so that we, with the help of the Holy Spirit, can defend our neighbors and loved ones honestly, justly, and with the courage that the Gospel gives.
And yet the Day approaches, the Day of the Lord; “a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations” (Ezekiel 30:3). The twisting slanders of the devil make evil thoughts and schemes come into the minds of men (cf. Ezekiel 38:10), and we will be tempted to take an easy path; a path that puffs us up at the expense of someone else’s reputation.
Keep us from such sins, O Lord. Keep us honest, brave, and true to your word. Permit us, when others speak harshly against us with truth or with lies, to put our trust in you. Permit us to put hard advice into practice when we should, and to let no lie trouble us. Your truth—the eternal truth—is that we are forgiven in Jesus. Let us cling to our Savior throughout our lives as to a mast in a storm. Sanctify us with your truth. Your word is truth.
Though rulers sit together and slander me,
your servant will meditate on your decrees.
Your statutes are my delight;
they are my counselors. (Psalm 119:23-24)
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. His wife, Kathryn, attended Chapel from 1987-1990 while studying Secondary Education (Theater and Math) at UW-Madison. Kathryn’s father, John Meyer, was also the first man to serve as a Vicar at Chapel.
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